Taylor Swift has said her endorsement of Kamala Harris was partly driven by Donald Trump sharing fake images of her, as she opened up about her fears surrounding AI and misinformation in the election.
In an Instagram post announcing her support for Harris, Swift said she was recently “made aware that AI of ‘me’ falsely endorsing Donald Trump’s presidential run was posted to his site.”
“It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation. It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter. The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth,” she said in a post made minutes after the end of the debate between the vice president and former President Trump.
Swift was likely referring to a Truth Social post made by Trump last month. The former president posted “I accept!” alongside four sets of images that mostly showed women in “Swifties for Trump” T-shirts.
The images also included an Uncle Sam-inspired depiction of Swift with the words, “Taylor wants you to vote for Donald Trump.”
One set of images came from a post labeled “satire,” and several of the images displayed typical AI markers. However, two of the images Trump shared appeared to be real, showing actual Trump supporter Jenna Piwowarczyk.
The images provoked the ire of some Swifties, who encouraged the singer to sue the former president for the unauthorized use of her likeness.
Legal experts and celebrity lawyers previously told Business Insider that Swift could sue over the image, including on federal grounds of trademark infringement and false advertising, but they raised doubts about how successful the potential case would be.
The former president later tried to distance himself from the images. On Fox Business’ Evening Edit last month, when asked about a potential lawsuit from Swift, Trump said he didn’t know “anything about” the images, which he claimed had been made up by other people.
Trump said that he “didn’t generate” the images and called AI “very dangerous.”
Experts say AI is trouble in elections
Experts have long feared the widespread use of AI could cause havoc during democratic elections. Deepfakes, AI-generated text, and hyper-targeted ads can blur the line between fact and fiction, making it harder for voters to discern what is credible information.
While Swift has been vocal on US political issues in the past, she had yet to endorse either 2024 ticket when Trump shared the dubious images. She previously supported the Biden-Harris campaign in 2020 and accused Trump of “stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism.”
Many fans have been eagerly waiting for Swift to weigh in on the 2024 election. One grassroots group dubbed Swifties For Kamala, which formed to mobilize support for the Democratic ticket, has amassed more than 60,000 followers on X.
The endorsement will also be a welcome surprise for many Democrats. The singer has a US adult fan base estimated to be nearly as large as the 2020 presidential vote count, giving her a unique cultural sway. And just an hour after the Harris-Walz campaign received Taylor Swift’s endorsement, it started selling friendship bracelets inspired by the singer.
Representatives for Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, made outside normal working hours.
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