Could Trump's AI-generated Taylor Swift endorsement be illegal?
On Sunday, former President Donald Trump posted a collection of memes on Truth Social -- the platform owned by his media company -- that make it seem like
On Sunday, former President Donald Trump posted a collection of memes on Truth Social — the platform owned by his media company — that make it seem like Taylor Swift and her fans are coming out in support of his candidacy. But as new legislation takes effect, these images could have deeper implications about the use of AI-generated images in political campaigns, especially when those images misrepresent a celebrity’s likeness.
“One of the things I’m seeing a lot of in my practice right now is the rise of AI impersonators across the board for endorsements,” Noah Downs, an IP and entertainment lawyer, told TechCrunch, with the condition that his comments are not legal advice. These fake AI endorsements have become so widespread that even “Shark Tank” had to publish a PSA to warn fans about the prevalence of scams that impersonate the show’s investors.
In one of the images Trump posted, hordes of young women wear matching “Swifties for Trump” t-shirts. While there is indeed political diversity among the large population of Swift fans, these images appear to be AI-generated — in fact, these particular images come from a satirical post on X.
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