Sports Presenter Exposes Deepfake AI Attack Horror

A rugby league television presenter in New Zealand has shared her horror upon discovering she was targeted by deepfake AI attacks.

Tiffany Salmond a popular NRL sideline reporter recognized for her coverage of New Zealand Warriors games on Fox League became the target of a disturbing deepfake AI attack.

After she posted a bikini photo on Instagram a manipulated video was reportedly created and distributed online within hours.

Salmond condemned the act stating You dont make deepfakes of women you overlook You make them of women you cant control.

She has now spoken about the horror she experienced when the video surfaced.

Felt important to speak up on this Glad its opening up a wider conversation she shared on Instagram.

Presenter Speaks Out on Deepfake Violation

Ill be honest it was shocking Salmond said.

Having the public profile that I do especially as a woman working in a male dominated sport Im no stranger to having my looks discussed or being the subject of sometimes perverse conversations.

But this was the first time it went beyond just chatter.

To actually see photos of myself ones I had posted confidently on social media turned into videos where Im moving and doing explicit actions was surreal.

If deepfakes were purely about attraction we would see women making them about men but we dont and its because in those dynamics that power imbalance doesnt exist.

We live in a society where men cant get enough of womens bodies but its only when they get a sneaky view that they werent meant to see.

A Disturbing Trend Affecting Athletes

This incident follows a similar case where Gold Coast Titans and New South Wales Blues star Jaime Chapman 23 was recently targeted by a deepfake AI attack involving manipulated images of her in a bikini circulated online without her consent.

Chapman publicly condemned the incident on Instagram stating it was not the first time she had faced such attacks and emphasized the emotional toll.

In response the Gold Coast Titans along with the NRL Integrity Unit and NSW Police have initiated an investigation to identify those responsible for creating and distributing the manipulated images.

The problem of deepfake images and videos has escalated into a global concern.

WNBA star Angel Reese also fell victim portrayed in AI generated photos committing sexual acts She refuted the authenticity of these crazy and weird images.

Creating fake AI pictures of me is crazy and weird AF Reese wrote on X.

Like I know Im fine seem to have an appeal to some but Im literally 21 and yall doing this bs when I would neverrrrrr.

Broader Implications and Vulnerable Groups

Deepfakes are not limited to pornographic or salacious content.

High profile sports stars including Cristiano Ronaldo LeBron James Patrick Mahomes Lionel Messi and Tiger Woods have also been targeted with videos showing them endorsing products conducting interviews or saying things they never actually said.

However Shane Britten CEO of Crime Stoppers International and Founder of SocialProtect previously told News Corp that women and indigenous athletes are disproportionately targeted with online abuse threats and deepfake content.

On average the top level female athletes weve seen will get what we would call a rape threat once a week he said.

But its the treatment of indigenous athletes where we as a country have got a lot to answer for Indigenous athletes who have a substantial online presence average more than one racially abusive comment per day.