Taylor Swift has just weighed in on the 2024 US presidential election, with a ringing endorsement of Democratic candidate and current vice president Kamala Harris.
She might not have said anything at all, however, if her hand wasn’t forced. As she explains in her official Instagram statement on the matter, it was a false, AI-generated claim of her endorsement that former President Donald Trump shared that “brought [her] to the conclusion” that she must be “very transparent about [her] actual plans for this election as a voter.”
The statement was issued immediately following a presidential debate between Harris and Trump on Tuesday night.
Why Taylor Swift Is Endorsing Kamala Harris
Swift’s statement focuses on Trump’s use of her likeness on social media to suggest that she had endorsed him in the 2024 race. Last month, Trump posted false images, some of which were AI-generated, showing Swift’s face alongside text telling the reader to “vote for Donald Trump.”
Trump’s only statement alongside the image was “I accept!” making it look even more like Taylor was giving him an endorsement. Her response:
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“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.” – Taylor Swift
Swift’s truth? “I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election,” she continued.
A Timeline of Taylor Swift’s AI Troubles
As one of the most recognizable people on the planet, pop star Taylor Swift is no stranger to fake images of herself, whether created through Photoshop or with generative AI image and video tools.
Earlier in 2024, Swift inadvertently became the face of social media scams, thanks to false videos that deepfaked her appearance in order to sell Le Creuset cookware.
Then, when Trump posted the false claims on his Truth Social account in August, he relied on AI to do so: Taylor Swift appears in an Uncle Sam suit, while multiple AI-generated images of apparent fans are seen wearing T-shirts that say “Swifties for Trump.”
AI-generated images are everywhere these days, thanks to free tools like ChatGPT. Now, it seems, a few AI images have directly led to one of the biggest figures in pop culture endorsing a major political candidate.
What Impact Will AI Images Have in the Future?
Granted, Swift endorsed Joe Biden in 2020, so it’s not a shock that she continues to side with the Democratic party. In her statement, she cited a trust in Harris as a “steady-handed, gifted leader.” She likes Harris’s running mate as well.
“I was so heartened and impressed by her selection of running mate [Tim Walz], who has been standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman’s right to her own body for decades.”
Still, the impact of AI images on this election can’t be ignored.
Major social media platforms are already trying to address the increased risks of false claims made with AI images: In November 2023, Meta announced plans to require all advertisers on Facebook and Instagram to disclose any use of AI-generated content for any political, electoral, or social issue ads.
Even this may be just a small step, however, since images frequently travel across many social platforms or messaging apps, and labels can be lost or ignored.
Interested in learning how to spot AI-generated images for yourself? We’ve rounded up the best advice on how to sort out the false images from the real ones — but the sad truth is that AI generators are improving over time. What works today may not work tomorrow.
