New Delhi: AI is an advanced tool, or we can say that a technology which offers many answers to queries that are asked by users, but what if we told you that AI can play a role in realistic death threats? Yes, this is true. An Australian activist with the group Collective Shout, the online threats looked disturbingly real, with photos of her hanging from the noose or burning alive, began circulating on the X platform and other platforms. What made them unbearable was their precision. She recognised the same blue floral dress she actually owned; these weren’t random memes, they were AI-generated images built to terrify.
AI has already drawn criticism for cloning voices or making deepfake adult images. Now it is being weaponised to deliver realistic threats, some reported. Experts said the generative models make intimidation more credible and accessible; even a single photo can let the harassers produce violent visuals. Anyone with no skills but evil intent can now use these types of tools. Digitally simulated threats aren’t the latest; a Florida judge received a video in 2023 showing an avatar of herself being murdered. This type of deepfake clip has been generated, which is very terrifying for anyone in the world.
OpenAI’s Sora text-to-video tool has drawn scrutiny after users created hyper-realistic, violent clips. OpenAI stated it uses guardrails and a moderation system, but the researchers argue they are easy to bypass. On X, where much of the abuse toward Roper appeared, some of the posts were removed, but others were left up, even recommending an abuser’s account to anyone. When she shared this publicly, the platform temporarily suspended her instead. AI has turned old forms of harassment into something visceral. Victims are no longer just reading words on a screen; they are watching manufactured images of themselves under attack. It blurs the line between fantasy and threats; AI is not that safe for anyone in this world.
