Apple removes three apps from App Store that claimed in ads they could create AI porn
Here's the downside of AI, folks. Just yesterday we told you that the AI object remover on Huawei's new Pura 70 Ultra could remove clothes from images while the AI helped to give the illusion that you were looking at the subject's bare body. Huawei said that it would adjust the algorithm in a future update. Friday, 404 Media (via AppleInsider) reported that Apple had removed three apps from the App Store that advertised on Instagram and on adult sites that they could be used to "Undress any girl for free."
These apps were described by the App Store as "art generators" although what they really did was create "nonconsensual nude images." Such images do not really show what these women really look like without clothes and rely on AI to create what appears to be the nude body under the clothing. Nonetheless, these pictures could still be used to embarrass or humiliate women and blackmail them.
404 Media said that Apple removed the apps but not before it gave the tech giant links to the apps and their ads. The report suggested that Apple could not seem to find the offending apps itself. While some of these apps offered the AI "undress" feature, others performed face swaps on adult images.
Apps removed from the App Store by Apple were advertising on Instagram and adult sites about their app's ability to create porn
Some of these apps started appearing in the App Store as far back as 2022 and seemed innocent to both Apple and Google as the apps were listed in the App Store and Play Store respectively. Apparently unbeknown to the tech companies, the developers behind these apps were advertising their porn capabilities on adult sites. Instead of immediately taking down these apps, Apple and Google allowed them to remain in their app storefronts as long as they stopped advertising on porn sites.
Despite Apple and Google's demand, one of the apps didn't stop advertising on adult sites until this year when Google pulled the app from the Play Store.
With Apple about to make some big AI announcements related to iOS 18 and Siri at WWDC in June, the company has been trying to maintain a squeaky-clean image. This includes Apple's decision to license articles from publishers to train its generative AI. Google and OpenAI have been sued by The New York Times for copyright infringement after using the publication's articles for AI training without permission. It will be interesting to see whether Apple suffers any negative publicity after waiting to pull these apps.
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Things that are NOT allowed: