A recent documentary about AI-generated pornography may have broken the law when it featured deepfaked footage of actress Scarlett Johansson in lingerie.
A highly-publicized documentary about non-consensual AI porn called Vicky Pattison: My Deepfake Sex Tape recently aired on Channel 4 in the U.K.
During the documentary, filmmakers show what appears to be deepfaked footage of Scarlett Johansson in lingerie.
The actress was reportedly seen in her underwear lying back on a bed strewn heart-shaped petals in the AI video.
In the background, a voiceover says: “Over the past decade there has been a trend of using AI to create videos of celebrities like Scarlett Johansson and Margot Robbie in highly explicit and degrading scenarios.”
However, according to The Guardian, legal experts say that the documentary’s decision to show AI-generated lingerie footage of the actress may have broken U.K. law.
Lawyers specializing in the field of sexually explicit AI-generated imagery suggest that the inclusion of the supposedly deepfake clip of Johansson might put Channel 4 in violation of the Sexual Offences Act 2003.
According to the publication, U.K. legislation specifically forbids the non-consensual distribution of computer-generated images that appear to show someone in underwear.
“It could, I think, breach the Sexual Offences Act if this were a deepfaked image of someone taken without their consent,” Clare McGlynn, a professor of law, who specializes in the legal regulation of pornography, sexual violence, and online abuse, tells The Guardian. “Because it is an image that falls within that act.”
This is the latest scandal that Channel 4’s documentary Vicky Pattison: My Deepfake Sex Tape has faced in recent weeks. In the documentary, reality star Vicky Pattison warns viewers about the dangers of deepfake sex tapes — by releasing her own video online.
The deepfake video appears to show Pattinson engaging in a sex act with a man, first in a bra, and then topless. Campaign groups representing survivors of deepfake abuse criticized the documentary’s decision to release an AI-generated pornographic video of Pattison, specifically warning that it could increase traffic to the sites they were fighting against.
The decision was also described as disrespectful to women who have had their images turned into non-consensual pornography.
“Celebrities worldwide have been impacted by the rise in deepfake pornography,” A Channel 4 spokesperson tells The Guardian.
“Channel 4 took steps to ensure we only identified celebrities who have been widely reported as being victims, and we blurred any sexually explicit content. As with all our programs, we have ensured that we have adhered to all relevant laws and regulations.”
Johansson has previously taken legal action against an AI app that used her likeness and name in an advertisement without consent. The ad, posted by an image-generating app called “Lisa AI: 90’s Yearbook & Avatar,” used real footage of Johansson to generate a deepfaked clip of the actress.
Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.
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