An app that could create fake naked photos of women has been taken down by its creator.
DeepNude used AI technology to digitally ‘undress’ women as users would upload a picture of a clothed woman and the app’s algorithm would transform it into a fake naked picture.
The app, which first launched on March 28, was shut down less than a day after it gained widespread attention after an article appeared on Vice's tech offshoot Motherboard on June 26. As a response, the creators tweeted that they never thought the app would go viral and the "probability that people will misuse it is too high."
"Honestly, the app is not that great, it only works with particular photos. We never thought it would become viral and we would not be able to control the traffic.
“The world is not yet ready for DeepNude," they concluded.
DeepNude was available to download for £40 and was a new example of ‘deepfake porn’ - where a woman’s head is digitally placed on porn models and actresses bodies.
It’s worth noting the app would only work on women – if you uploaded a photo of a man it would create a naked image using female genitalia.
Before the app was shut down, Katelyn Bowden, founder and CEO of revenge porn activism organisation Badass, told Motherboard: "This is absolutely terrifying.
"Now anyone could find themselves a victim of revenge porn, without ever having taken a nude photo. This tech should not be available to the public."
Avengers actress Scarlett Johansson also addressed deepfake porn earlier this year, when she told the Washington Post: “The Internet is just another place where sex sells and vulnerable people are preyed upon.
“Nothing can stop someone from cutting and pasting my image or anyone else’s onto a different body and making it look as eerily realistic as desired. There are basically no rules on the Internet because it is an abyss that remains virtually lawless.”
While it seems the creators of DeepNude developed a conscience and took the app down, it could just be the beginning of a frightening new chapter of AI.
