[Into the World of AI] Martin Luther King Jr. Says "MAGA"... Calls Grow for Regulation of AI Insulting the Deceased

AI Videos of Deceased Celebrities Become a Major Concern

Difficulties in Sanctioning AI-Generated Insults Against the Deceased

"I have a dream." In a YouTube video, Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. stands at a podium and delivers his famous line from 1963. However, the sentence that follows is not, "I have a dream that my children will live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." Instead, Martin Luther King suddenly puts on a red hat and shouts, "Make America Great Again." This was the campaign slogan of U.S. President Donald Trump. The same phrase is written on the hat. The video was created using the AI video generator 'Sora.'

Viewers of the video expressed mixed reactions, saying, "I didn't know Martin Luther King Jr. liked President Trump," or "Please stop making such videos. Martin Luther King Jr. would not have supported President Trump." As platforms that generate videos using AI proliferate, content mocking deceased figures or historical icons is being produced indiscriminately. Many who encounter these videos are calling for improved regulations to prevent such insults to the deceased.

Recently, an AI-generated video of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. standing at a podium and saying "Make America Great Again" has been spreading on YouTube. YouTube screenshot

According to the AI industry and other sources on February 28, a video using AI to mock Yu Gwansun, an activist in the March 1st Movement, was recently posted on the social media platform TikTok. The video shows Yu Gwansun showing affection for the Japanese flag or passing gas. Yu Gwansun is not the only target. Professor Seo Kyung-duk of Sungshin Women's University revealed on his social media that he found SNS posts belittling independence activist Kim Gu or praising pro-Japanese collaborator Lee Wan-yong. Professor Seo stated, "On TikTok, I saw a post mocking Kim Gu's appearance, saying, 'What's with this face?'" He added, "I have also occasionally seen YouTube videos that insult independence activists."

In fact, AI videos featuring deceased celebrities have already become a global issue. In one video, the renowned physicist Stephen Hawking, who passed away in 2018, is shown participating in professional wrestling and throwing himself at an opponent. Another AI-generated video portrays the late singer Michael Jackson, who died in 2009, running and comically hitting his head on a pillar. Some videos even cross lines of taboo. For example, Adolf Hitler, responsible for the Holocaust during World War II, is depicted in an AI video draped in the American flag, pointing ahead and declaring, "I am America's champion."

Professor Seokyungduk of Sungshin Women's University revealed on the 26th through his social media that he discovered SNS posts that belittle independence activist Kim Ku and praise pro-Japanese collaborator Lee Wan-yong. Screenshot of Professor Seokyungduk's SNS

There have also been cases where the families of the deceased depicted in AI videos have publicly expressed distress. Zelda Williams, daughter of the late actor Robin Williams who died in 2014, made a public plea in October last year, asking people not to send her AI-generated videos of her father. Zelda Williams said, "Don't assume I want to see or would understand (AI videos featuring my father). If you have even the minimum decency, please stop doing this to my father and me. Manipulating the deceased like puppets with AI is something that should not be done."

However, it remains difficult to sanction those who insult the deceased through AI videos. In October last year, when an AI video of Martin Luther King Jr. making monkey noises went viral and sparked controversy over racism, OpenAI suspended the generation of Martin Luther King Jr.-related videos. Still, videos mocking Martin Luther King Jr. can easily be found on YouTube or TikTok, indicating that such content cannot be fully filtered out. Legal punishment is also challenging. The crime of insult applies only to living individuals, and defamation of the deceased only applies if false information is presented. Direct mockery or ridicule does not qualify as defamation of the deceased. Professor Seo emphasized via social media, "It is important for internet users to actively report such videos so that they cannot be exposed."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.