Elon Musk’s social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, is ramping up efforts to bolster its contentious “trust and safety” team, previously associated with widespread conservative censorship under prior leadership. This move follows the dissemination of explicit AI-generated images featuring pop star Taylor Swift on the platform.
According to The New York Post, Elon Musk’s social media platform X/Twitter has committed to recruiting 100 new content moderators and establishing a “trust and safety center” in Austin, Texas, aimed at combatting abusive and explicit content. The decision comes in response to the rapid circulation of AI-generated deepfake nude images of Taylor Swift across X/Twitter last week.
Breitbart News noted that the company initiated a blanket block on all searches related to the pop star shortly after the images gained traction online. Searches for terms like “Taylor Swift” and “Taylor Swift AI” yielded error messages over the weekend, though variations such as “Taylor Swift photos AI” remained accessible. X confirmed it was deliberately restricting these search phrases temporarily, citing safety concerns as their top priority.
In response to the public outcry and heightened scrutiny from the Joe Biden administration and mainstream media, X emphasized the urgency of safeguarding users, particularly children, from harmful content. “X does not have a line of business focused on children, but it’s important that we make these investments to keep stopping offenders from using our platform for any distribution or engagement with CSE content,” stated X executive Joe Benarroch.
The emergence of explicit deepfakes, facilitated by advancements in AI technology, poses a growing concern, with female celebrities and public figures often being the primary targets. The EU’s Digital Services Act now mandates platforms like X to take decisive measures in curbing nonconsensual and abusive content dissemination.
