Midjourney isn't playing.
Hammer = Down
In a self-described attempt to call attention to AI-spun misinformation, someone used Midjourney to create fake images of politicians cheating on their spouses — only to find themselves banned from Midjourney entirely.
"I got banned from Midjourney AI for generating realistic images of politicians cheating on their wives for a series called 'AI will revolutionize the blackmail industry,'" the images' creator, video editor Justin Brown, wrote in a Twitter thread showcasing the images, adding that "when used with intelligence and intent, AI can be weapon."
It was a well-enough intended stunt, we guess. But Midjourney clearly wasn't having it, and honestly, it's relieving to see the company being somewhat proactive about countering AI-generated misinformation in the run-up to the 2024 election.
I got banned from Midjourney AI for generating realistic images of politicians cheating on their wives for a series called “AI will revolutionize the blackmail industry”
A couple thoughts on AI images from someone who’s good at making fake stuff 🧵
Trump cheating on his wife: pic.twitter.com/HjxBj7qdaR
— JustinTBrown (@JuuustinBrown) May 26, 2023
Whack-a-Mole
Among other figures, the politicians included in Brown's Midjourney-created series included several candidates in the 2024 presidential race: current president Joe Biden, former president Donald Trump, former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, and Florida governor Ron DeSantis.
Although the images vary a bit in terms of believability, some are pretty convincing. It's also important to note that the company only exiled Brown after he'd posted the images on Reddit — meaning that, to Brown's point, others could be generating similar images right under Midjourney's nose.
"After gaining some traction on Reddit, the series was removed by moderators and the Midjourney ban followed almost immediately," Brown told PetaPixel. "I've come up against blocked prompts in the past — for naughty words or controversial figures — but never received a ban."
"I wasn't given a direct reason for the ban by Midjourney," he added, "but the timing of the Reddit release and the ban correlate directly."
To Midjourney's credit, AI-generated imagery has already been used in several political advertisements, and deepfaked images and voices are a growing threat to the democratic process. Even if created with the best intentions, it'd probably be better if an easy way to churn out pictures like this just didn't exist. With that in mind, a no-exceptions rule on Midjourney's behalf feels warranted.
Case in point: Brown admitting that he's already seen some of the images being misused.
"I never presented the images [in the photo series] as real," Brown told PetaPixel. "But I do know that some of those images have been taken and shared out of context by others, so I wouldn't be surprised if there are some people who believed they were real."
Honesty, these images don’t even have to be THAT high-quality to be believable. QAnon was founded on the worst memes you’ve ever seen; they’re borderline religious texts now. I think we’ll see AI videos of Democrats and children within a year or 2
Obama cheating on his wife: pic.twitter.com/QrKogpBfDs
— JustinTBrown (@JuuustinBrown) May 26, 2023
More on AI and 2024: Ron DeSantis Ad Features AI-Generated Images of Donald Trump Kissing Fauci
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