{
  "id": 2142240,
  "title": "Subtlefakes: Slightly Altered Nonconsensual AI Images Are Taking Over X",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/20/subtlefakes-slightly-altered-nonconsensual-ai-images-are-taking-over-x",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-08-20T13:34:23.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "404 Media",
    "slug": "404-media",
    "url": "https://www.404media.co/subtlefakes-slightly-altered-nonconsensual-ai-images-are-taking-over-x/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Subtlefakes, slightly altered nonconsensual AI images, are proliferating on the social media platform X. These images are more convincing than traditional deepfakes, which typically involve editing or swapping identities in explicit content featuring celebrities. Subtlefakes are nonconsensual images of celebrities, subtly edited to appear more revealing or provocative. For example, AI altered a real photograph of actress Xochitl Gomez to make her dress more revealing and her buttocks or breasts larger. Some images are entirely AI-generated post-workout selfies. The images are often posted by verified engagement farming accounts on X, which pay the account operators if their posts garner enough impressions. X appears to turn a blind eye to this practice, as well as other harmful content. These subtlefakes are harder to detect than traditional deepfakes, as they are often photorealistic and lack the usual context clues. They also require less effort to produce, as there are numerous services enabling easy AI generation of nonconsensual images. The proliferation of subtlefakes highlights the evolving sophistication of malicious actors and the need for public awareness regarding the potential dangers of AI-generated nonconsensual content.",
  "summary": "Nonconsensual AI images are getting much harder to spot.",
  "key_points": [
    "Subtlefakes are subtly altered nonconsensual AI images spreading on X.",
    "Images make celebrities appear more revealing or provocative, harder to detect.",
    "X and engagement farming accounts promote subtlefakes despite potential dangers."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}