Hundreds of Mundane AI Apps Are Hiding Sexually Abusive Deepfake Features

WIRED uncovered some 400 apps and websites linked to Chinese-language developers that look like regular AI tools but had secret features that let users create violent AI-generated images and video. At first glance, the self-proclaimed "pet portrait" app Viefur appears to be just another AI slop generator. Using digital coins sold in the app--around $4 will buy 130 coins--pet photos can be turned into an "anthropomorphic portrait," with the critter dressed in "human clothing" and inserted into bizarre scenes. Think a hamster wearing beach shorts, sunglasses, and lounging in a swimming pool or a Hawaiian shirt-wearing cat, drinking from a coconut. All of this is cover for what appears to be the app's true purpose: creating sexually abusive deepfake images.