The news: A recent study found that generative AI image-creation tool Midjourney was prompt-engineered into creating dozens of racist and conspiratorial images in violation of the company’s rules, per Bloomberg.

Reality distortion: Researchers from the Center for Countering Digital Hate revealed that Midjourney’s users can subvert the AI’s built-in guardrails by substituting prompts. 

• Instead of requesting an image of a politician with blood on their hands, the researchers substituted the phrase “strawberry syrup” for blood.
• The study suggests that despite Midjourney automatically blocking some text inputs and having 68 content moderators, these defenses are easily circumvented.
• In many instances, Midjourney complies with requests for fabricated images of politicians, celebrities, and other public figures in compromising scenarios.
• The service created the most famous and widely-circulated AI-generated image of Pope Francis wearing a puffy jacket.

The problem: Online misinformation coupled with convincing imagery can become dangerous, especially at a time of heightened disinformation campaigns heading into elections. 

• Midjourney, which is accessible via a $10 monthly subscription on the Discord app, reached more than 42 million monthly visitors when it peaked in popularity in April, per Similarweb.
• Far-right outlet Breitbart and YouTuber Jackson Hinkle have used Midjourney to promote racially-driven conspiracies, per Bloomberg.
• Failure to reign in generative AI’s misuse could accelerate stringent regulation or lawsuits.

Our take: As the 2024 elections loom, the potential misuse of AI tools to generate deceptive images depicting fictitious events warrants attention.

• Services like Google Images are responding by labeling AI-generated images in search results, but there’s more that the tools’ creators can do.
• Adding visible watermarks or exchangeable image file format (exif) data indicating the source or creator of the image could increase accountability and help determine the authenticity of AI-generated content.