Deepfake Fashion: AI-Generated Met Gala Looks Go Viral

The Met Gala, known for its extravagant celebrity fashion, saw a new kind of attendee this year: celebrities who weren’t even there. AI-generated images depicting stars like Katy Perry, Dua Lipa and Rihanna in elaborate gowns flooded social media, fooling fans and even some celebrities’ inner circles.

The images, created with deepfake technology, showed the singers in fantastical outfits inspired by the Gala’s theme. Perry’s dress, for instance, sported flowers and moss trimmings. While some viewers noticed giveaways, like mismatched carpets or distorted figures, the initial wave of excitement was undeniable. Katy Perry’s mom even reportedly believed the images were real! Dua Lipa’s fake image had a bit more effort put in. The AI image depicted Lipa with bangs, a dramatic bow, and a corseted gown – a look entirely different from the feathery, low-rise Marc Jacobs masterpiece she sported on the real red carpet. This extra detail made the fake image even more believable, briefly fooling some fans. Other celebrities reportedly circulated in the fake image sphere included Gigi Hadid and Gabrielle Union.

This incident highlights the growing sophistication of deepfakes and the potential for misinformation, even in the seemingly frivolous world of celebrity fashion. It raises questions about the future of online content and the increasing difficulty of discerning real from artificial.