Many AI-generated accounts profiting from the likeness of Black woman influencers have been removed.
BBC and AI publication Riddance researchers discovered various accounts on TikTok and Instagram featuring hyper-sexualized Black female digital characters or avatars. These posts failed to provide any disclaimers that the content was AI-generated. It was also noted that 60 accounts, most of which were found on Instagram, had links to paid content on third-party websites that were sexually explicit. Some accounts did not link to paid content.
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According to the BBC, failing to flag AI-generated content went against both Instagram and TikTok policies.
BBC highlighted Black model Riya Ulan, whose content was manipulated in a video posted on TikTok and Instagram, earning more than 35 million views and 173 million views respectively. This was 47 times the number of views she had garnered on the the original video. It was noted that the content she used was not sexual.
“I was angry,” Riya told the BBC. “Of course my videos are all out there … It doesn’t mean that you can just take it and steal it and post it as your own.”
“I’m not sure if I’m more concerned about them taking my video to promote their explicit content or [that] people actually believe in that,” she told the outlet.
Glamour UK also conducted its own report and found several cases of AI-generated Black woman creators across TikTok and Instagram. This included an account called Nia Noir, which had one million followers, with one video amassing more than 160 million views before it was taken down by TikTok. The account featured content similar to that of TikTok influencers Tatiana Kaer and Janice Nichole.
“There’s enough similarity to mimic the look, traits and personality of a real human, but giving it a synthetic and AI look, so as to try to bypass any potential claims on identity theft, or copyright infringement,” Sarah Armstrong-Smith, a cybersecurity expert, told Glamour. “These AI-generated female personas can pose significant risks to real women and girls who are disproportionately targeted by non-consensual image manipulation, including sexual exploitation and reputational damage.”
Tati Kapaya, a content creator and founder of Creators on Creators, told Glamour:
“Black women are paid less. We get less exposure. There’s less respect across the board. This is just adding to that. It’s not surprising, but it’s extremely disappointing.”
TikTok has banned more than 20 accounts that were found to feature content with the AI-generated Black female creators, BBC reported.
Meta, which owns Instagram, also told Glamour UK it took down the accounts identified by the outlet that violated Meta’s policies.
