How would you feel if there was an altered image of yourself floating around the internet without your consent? Well, this is a problem being faced by one of the biggest pop stars in the world. The megastar in question is none other than Taylor Swift. 

A.I., also known as artificial intelligence, has been rapidly gaining traction in recent years. This boom in popularity also comes with its own set of baggage. The most common criticism regarding A.I. is the rampant misinformation that is spread when an image is produced. The most recent instance in which A.I. has been brought to the forefront of mainstream media unexpectedly involves Taylor Swift and two presidential candidates. 

Donald Trump, Republican candidate for the 2024 Presidential Election, took to his social media platform, Truth Social, this August to post a collection of A.I. generated images of Taylor Swift and her supporters telling the American people to vote for him. With the photos included the caption, “I accept!” People soon began to suspect that these images were false. A controversy ensued, prompting Swift to make a post on Instagram. 

This is not the first time Swift has been a topic of debate within political spaces. During the 2020 election, the pop star publicly announced that she would be endorsing Joseph R. Biden Jr. after maintaining a largely unpolitical career. Following the most recent presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice-President Kamala Harris, Swift took to the social media platform Instagram to set the record straight. Concerning the A.I. images, Swift said, “It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation.” Swift then went on to comment, “The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth.” With this, the popular singer-songwriter claimed that she would be voting for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election. Swift ended her post with the tagline, “Childless Cat Lady,” a direct callback to a quote made by Trump’s running mate JD Vance. 

Remember, misinformation spreads because people forget to do their research. As Swift mentioned in her Instagram post, “I’ve done my research, and I’ve made my choice. Your research is all yours to do, and the choice is yours to make.”