Kim Kardashian is not a trans man, despite what TikTok thinks. (Tristar Media/Getty)
An AI-generated interview with Kim Kardashian saying she’s coming out as a trans man has convinced many online.
The video has been cleverly edited to make it seem as though the 43-year-old media personality, socialite and actress is candidly sharing details about her transition as a trans man.
In the TikTok video, footage ripped from Kardashian’s interview with model and Feud: Capote vs. The Swans star Chloë Sevigny for Variety’s ‘Actors on Actors’ interview has been doctored so Kardashian appears to share details of her transition.
“Now you’re transitioning. How was that?” Sevigny asks the American Horror Story actor.
Is Kim Kardashian a trans man?
Kardashian responds: “I really enjoy it. I just didn’t think I could ever do it and then finally I got the confidence to say I’m going to try it. It is a different language and a whole different experience.”
“Having a team that you really trust to help make these decisions and doing what really feels right and when you want to take time away you know.”
“It just has to be so much fun. It started off as something that was a challenge to myself.”
The TikTok’s voiceover then jumps in to state that Kardashian is coming out as a trans man during Pride Month “to become the man she’s always wanted to be.”
The TikTok also points to Kardashian being labelled GQ’s Man of the Year as evidence for this false report.
The account has posted this TikTok video over and over again, hitting 3.3 million and 2.9 million views.
However, if you look closely enough, which often isn’t the case when users are scrolling on the app, the video is tagged with an ‘AI-generated’ label.
Despite the presence of this, many have still been taken in by the post and its circulation.
“My mom just asked me if Kim kardashian is gonna be trans bc she seen someone on tik tok say she was…” one user remarked on X (Twitter), proving that the AI video is clearly convincing some scrollers.
A few other accounts are asking social media about the star’s gender identity.
“So is kim kardashian a trans fr ???” one person posted.
Another asked: “Kim kardashian is trans ????”
The success of this TikTok video has highlighted the challenges that video platforms are facing when it comes to combatting AI-generated misinformation.
When it comes to purposely using AI to make it seem as if someone is coming out as trans, this tool could be extremely damaging and harmful to both famous people and non-celebrities.
Making it seem someone has said things they haven’t could mean outing an individual or subjecting them to a potentially dangerous situation in their home life and social circle. Also, if someone is trans, it’s a traumatic experience to out them before they are ready: especially using an AI video.
TikTok’s AI Content
Earlier this month, TikTok introduced new rules to flag when artificial intelligence has been used to create videos.
According to TikTok’s requirements for video creation with deepfakes (synthetic media that have been digitally manipulated to replace one person’s likeness convincingly with that of another) and AI-generated videos, creators must label content “that has been completely generated or significantly edited by AI.”
The social media app considers significant AI content to be that which: “The primary subjects are portrayed doing something they didn’t do [and] saying something they didn’t say.”
AP News reported that TikTok say they’re the first video-sharing platform to put the credentials into practice.
“Our users and our creators are so excited about AI and what it can do for their creativity and their ability to connect with audiences,” TikTok’s Head of Operations & Trust and Safety told the outlet.
“And at the same time, we want to make sure that people have that ability to understand what fact is and what is fiction.”
The appearance and spread of deepfake and AI-generated videos are causing concern as both the UK and the US approach major elections.
According to a BBC investigation, young people on TikTok are being exposed to misleading and divisive content.
In key election battlegrounds, young voters have been recommended fake AI-generated videos featuring party leaders spouting misinformation.
The report states that “some users are confused about which claims are factual.”
TikTok’s move to label AI-generated videos has been cited as an attempt to thwart this spread of misinformation, however if the reaction to Kim Kardashian “coming out” as a trans man is anything to go by, it may not be enough.
