Hundreds of Mundane AI Apps Are Hiding Sexually Abusive Deepfake Features
Source: Wired ·
WIRED uncovered some 400 apps and websites linked to Chinese-language developers that look like regular AI tools but had secret features that let users create violent AI-generated images and video.
From the source
At first glance, the self-proclaimed “pet portrait” app Viefur appears to be just another AI slop generator. Using digital coins sold in the app—around $4 will buy 130 coins—pet photos can be turned into an “anthropomorphic portrait,” with the critter dressed in “human clothing” and inserted into bizarre scenes. Think a hamster wearing beach shorts, sunglasses, and lounging in a swimming pool or a Hawaiian shirt-wearing cat, drinking from a coconut. All of this is cover for what appears to be the app’s true purpose: creating sexually abusive deepfake images. A WIRED investigation found the app is part of a network of more than 400 connected domains and apps that, like Viefur, often claim to be everyday services—such as language tuition or AI workout coaches. When accessed under certain conditions, however, apps in the network stealthily load a web interface allowing the generation of explicit AI sexual images and videos using photos users upload. The apps include AI scenes such as…
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