Federal prosecutors in the United States have charged two men with using artificial intelligence to generate sexually explicit deepfakes of female celebrities, marking one of the first prosecutions under the Take It Down Act signed by President Donald Trump last year. Cornelius Shannon, 51, and Arturo Hernandez, 20, were arrested in unconnected cases this week, each facing up to two years in prison for creating and distributing non-consensual AI-generated pornography that drew millions of views online. The cases, viewed from Washington, represent a landmark test of legislative efforts to curb the spread of deepfakes as generative AI becomes more pervasive.

Half a world away, South Korean police are seeking an arrest warrant for a YouTuber accused of using AI to fabricate evidence that destroyed the career of actor Kim Soo-hyun. Authorities say the YouTuber, Kim Se-ui, manipulated screenshots of text messages and created an AI-generated audio file to falsely suggest that the actor had dated actress Kim Sae-ron when she was a minor. The allegations surfaced shortly after Kim Sae-ron took her own life at 24, and the resulting scandal upended Kim Soo-hyun's career. He has consistently denied the claims. Analysts in Seoul note that the case underscores how easily AI can be weaponised to ruin reputations, with real-world consequences amplified by social media.

In India, Mumbai Police have registered a First Information Report after an AI-generated video of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was circulated online containing abusive language, allegedly intended to defame him. The accused, Nafis Alam, is reported to have posted the manipulated video from an Instagram account. The case was brought to light by a Bharatiya Janata Party youth leader monitoring social media. This incident adds to growing concerns in Delhi about the use of deepfakes to target public figures ahead of elections.

Meanwhile, in Argentina, the Asociación Argentina de Actores y Actrices has launched a campaign demanding urgent regulation of AI in audiovisual productions. Actors including Ricardo Darín warned that their voices, expressions and performances can be replicated without consent, threatening both artistic integrity and livelihoods. The campaign reflects a broader push by creative industries globally for protective legislation.

The convergence of these events across four continents highlights a common predicament: legal frameworks struggle to keep pace with the speed at which AI can generate convincing forgeries. Viewed from London, the disparate responses—from criminal prosecution in the US to police investigations in South Korea to advocacy campaigns in Argentina—suggest a fragmented global approach, with no consensus yet on how to balance innovation with accountability. The coming months will likely see more nations introducing laws akin to the Take It Down Act, but the challenge remains enforcement across borders and platforms.