Recently, Taylor Swift has become the subject of explicit AI-created deepfake images that were posted on social media, sparking concern among U.S. lawmakers. These fake photos were found on sites like “X” and Telegram, with one particular deepfake photo of Swift being viewed 47 million times before it was taken down.

“X” has taken action to remove the images and stated that they will take appropriate actions against the accounts involved in spreading the deepfakes. However, there are currently no federal laws that prevent the creation or sharing of deepfake images, although some state lawmakers have shown interest in addressing this issue.

The release of these explicit deepfake photos of Taylor Swift has prompted politicians on Capitol Hill to get involved. US Representative Joe Morelle (D-NY) called the release of the photos “appalling,” and a study last year found that the number of doctored photographs rose 550% from 2019 thanks to the increasing use of AI.

Morelle introduced the Preventing Deepfakes of Intimate Images Act last year, which would make it illegal to share deepfake pornography without consent. According to Morelle, urgent action is needed as such images and videos can cause irreparable harm, especially impacting women.

Another Democratic U.S. Representative from New York, Yvette Clarke, also voiced her concern on Twitter. She stated that women have been targets of deepfakes without their consent for years and emphasized the need for bipartisan cooperation to address this issue.

On the other side, Republican Congressman Tom Kean Jr. from New Jersey highlighted the need to establish safeguards to combat the alarming trend of deepfake technology advancing faster than necessary guardrails.

The Twitter account that posted the images has been deactivated by the subscriber amid talk that Swift’s legal team will sue the sites and accounts that posted the pornographic deepfake images.