As Democrats gather for their national convention in Chicago, former President Donald Trump is actively using social media to promote the Republican campaign.

On August 19, Mr. Trump shared on the social network Truth Social images created by artificial intelligence (AI), including a photo of pop star Taylor Swift dressed as Uncle Sam (a nickname for America and a symbol of patriotism), asking fans to vote for Mr. Trump, along with the words “I accept” by the former president.

In addition to the pop superstar, the former president shared several other photos showing women wearing T-shirts that read “Swifties for Trump.” Swifties is the fan community of singer Taylor Swift.

For Republicans, the focus on Taylor Swift, one of the world’s most famous singers, is meant to draw attention to the former president at a time when much of the focus is on Vice President Kamala Harris and the Democratic Party.

“This is how he and his campaign can get back into the news. I’m not praising them for doing it, but I think we all know that if you want to get noticed, Taylor Swift is a great choice,” said veteran Republican spokesman Doug Heye.

Trump supporters also regularly create social media posts and memes using AI-generated images, some of which were shared by the former president.

Before Trump shared the fake photo of Swift, his supporters created and posted multiple AI-generated videos and images that broadcast the pop star’s pro-Trump message.

Political activists have long been concerned about the impact of artificial intelligence on elections. Some members of Congress have pushed for legislation to regulate the use of AI-generated imagery in politics, but so far no legislation has been passed.

Across social media platforms, deceptively realistic images of Mr Trump and Ms Harris have garnered millions of views, with some people not even realising they were AI-generated.

With her huge influence and millions of fans, Taylor Swift is often seen as a political hot topic during election years.

Taylor Swift is currently touring Europe and has not yet endorsed any presidential candidates in this year’s election.

In 2020, she announced her support for Democratic candidate Joe Biden. A month before that election, Swift said she supported vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris in a debate with Trump’s running mate Mike Pence. She also publicly criticized Trump before the 2020 election, saying he stoked the “fires of white supremacy and racism.”

Fox News host Jeanine Pirro warned Swift earlier this year against getting involved in politics. Fox News’ Sean Hannity also urged the singer to “think twice” about supporting the Democratic candidate for president.

Vivek Ramaswamy, who ran for the Republican presidential nomination before dropping out and endorsing Trump, has described Swift and boyfriend Travis Kelce as people who could make a “presidential push” this fall.

Steven Cheung, a spokesman for Mr Trump, did not address the use of fake photos in response to interview questions, but called “Swifties for Trump” a “huge movement that is growing every day”. After Mr Trump’s post, some of the singer’s supporters did not seem to realise it was fake and announced on social media that they would vote for the former president.

“These images of Taylor Swift are yet another example of the power of artificial intelligence to generate misinformation and deceive voters. The potential harm to society from such misinformation, including the impact on elections, is vast and serious,” said Lisa Gilbert, co-chair of Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy group.

The question now is whether Taylor Swift will sue Mr Trump for his actions and whether the singer has the legal basis to do so.

Leslie Garfield Tenzer, a law professor at Pace University in New York, said Taylor Swift has every reason to sue under the Lanham Act.

“The law was passed by the US Congress a long time ago, protecting celebrities’ brands and allowing them to fight back against those who try to use their image to deceive consumers,” said Tenzer.

In Mr Trump’s case, he acknowledged, “voters may not be considered consumers exactly, but I think there are similarities.”

If a lawsuit is filed, the singer may not have a clear chance of winning, as Mr. Trump has a strong legal team that can handle a lot of litigation. Therefore, experts say that Taylor Swift’s smarter move would be to make a legal threat instead of suing.

“She can certainly ask Mr. Trump to stop this behavior,” Tenzer said.

Jordan Rubin, a former New York City district attorney in Manhattan, said Swift could sue Trump for sharing the fake photos. He said one legal basis the singer could consider is the right of publicity, which protects people from certain forms of unauthorized exploitation of their images.

Rubin cited a recent example, when OpenAI developed a chatbot voice assistant that sounded like the famous actress Scarlett Johansson. OpenAI later abandoned it due to public backlash, but denied that it had imitated Johansson’s voice.

“There’s no reason right now to think that Mr. Trump’s actions will lead to a lawsuit, but if he continues to antagonize a pop star who appears to have political sympathies for the other side, we can see if that’s the case,” Rubin said.

However, observers say this is still an example of technology outpacing the law and it may take lawmakers a long time to catch up.

“As technology becomes more sophisticated, we need to put in place measures that encourage innovation but also help mitigate its misuse. Without these safeguards, the risk of AI spreading misinformation and eroding trust in influencers will continue to grow,” warned Alon Yamin, co-founder and CEO of Copyleaks, an AI-based text analysis platform.

Thuy Lam (According to AP, Forbes, MSNBC )