Deepfake Donald Trump 'arrest' photos go viral

Images of Donald Trump appearing to be tackled to the ground and arrested by New York police officers went viral online, fooling some people into thinking they were real. 

Created by Eliot Higgins, founder of investigative website Belingcat, using AI image generator Midjourney, the images included shots of Trump's wife Melania screaming, his daughter Ivanka yelling, son Donald Trump Jr protesting, and the former US president in orange prison fatigues. 

The images were published shortly before Trump was to appear in court over his alleged hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels. 

Higgins was later banned by Midjourney for violating its terms of use. The word 'arrested' was also banned on the platform. The incident led commentators to highlight the necessity of dedicated AI regulation.