By Christopher Lessler
On Jan. 28, the talent agency William Morris Endeavor (WME) announced that it would be partnering with technology company Vermillio to give WME’s clients firmer control over online images of themselves as AI deepfake technology improves. WME’s clients include Ben Affleck, Whoopi Goldberg, and Amy Schumer. Vermillio estimates that AI has generated about 130 billion images, up from 18,000 in 2019 and crawling toward a possible 300 billion in 2030. Deepfake video detection company Sensity AI reported that 96 percent of deepfakes were of a sexual nature and non-consensual, and of those, 99 percent targeted women. WIRED reported data from an independent researcher that showed a 54 percent increase in deepfake videos uploaded to websites between 2022 and 2023.
Not long beforehand, X (formerly Twitter) was inundated for most of a day with deepfake sexual content of Taylor Swift, prompting the platform to temporarily block searches for her name. The block was circumventable by placing quotation marks around her name. Some deepfakes also appeared on other social media platforms, though not nearly to the same degree. Deepfake detecting firm Reality Defender said with 90 percent confidence that the Taylor Swift deepfakes were created with an AI diffusion model, a generative model that in this case produces photorealistic images. In a White House press conference, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that federal legislation is needed to address non-consensual deepfakes. To fight AI, Vermillio’s newly created platform Trace ID uses AI itself. The platform utilizes AI technology to track and find deepfake images of their clients. Vermillio has clients upload their identifying digital data, puts this information into a blockchain, and uses it to track relevant images that appear online. Clients have the option of having illicit deepfakes removed, or they can request payment from the deepfake creator for the use of their likeness. In the latter case, Vermillio receives part of the payment.
WME’s deal with Vermillio comes on the heels of last year’s SAG-AFTRA actors’ union strike. The deal ending that strike gave AI-related protections to actors, including a prohibition of studios using actors’ AI likenesses without approval. However, the contract lacks many other AI-related actor protections, including continuing to allow studios from creating entirely fabricated AI characters or using past actor performances to train AI tools.
The prevalence of deepfakes has already caused the beginning of a major reckoning in Hollywood. Although deepfakes have become a formidable phenomenon, many firms and individuals are working to prevent the distribution of illicit AI-created deepfakes. WME’s deal with Vermillio is emblematic of this trend.
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