Mother “Disgusted” by AI-Generated TikTok Video Recreating Daughter’s Murder
A mother is speaking out against a disturbing trend on TikTok where artificial intelligence is used to animate the stories of crime victims, including her daughter, Charmaine O’Donnell, who was fatally pushed from a pier in Scotland. The account, which has sence been removed, utilized images of dozens of women killed in violent crimes across the UK.
Jacqueline Gallacher, Charmaine’s mother, described her horror upon seeing the deepfake video of her daughter, telling STV News she “couldn’t believe what I was seeing.” The video, created by an anonymous account, used AI to recreate Charmaine’s story, four years after she was tragically killed at the age of 25 in Helensburgh by Jacob Foster.
The TikTok account amassed over 11,000 followers before Gallacher reported it. “I just find their whole page nauseating.”
After reporting the video to TikTok and attempting to engage with the creator, Gallacher was blocked. Initially, the social media platform informed her that the content did not violate its community guidelines, a response she called “an actual joke.” She expressed skepticism about the motivations of those creating such content, suggesting they lack empathy and disregard the pain inflicted on families. “I actually don’t think the people that make these things care, to be perfectly honest. I think they just think, ‘Oh, that’s social media? Deal with it.’ Why should families have to deal with it because it’s social media?”
Growing Concerns Over AI-Generated Trauma
Victim Support Scotland has already assisted another family in removing a similar video from the same page, signaling a rise in this disturbing practice. Debbie Adams, director for external affairs and development at the charity, condemned the content as “absolutely horrific,” emphasizing the real trauma inflicted upon families for the sake of “social media, for entertainment, for clicks and presumably for monetisation.” Adams advocates for the criminalization of both the creation and sharing of such material.
While the TikTok account has been removed following inquiries from STV News, the incident has sparked a broader debate about the responsibility of social media companies and the need for stricter regulations. tiktok’s Community Guidelines prohibit harmful AI-generated content and require labeling of considerably edited material,but critics argue these measures are insufficient.
The case also touches upon the complex ethical considerations surrounding the use of AI to represent the deceased. While some families have embraced AI as a means of delivering victim impact statements in court – as recently occurred in the US – experts warn of a “slippery slope” towards losing control over personal identity and voice.
Professor Shannon Vallor from the University of Edinburgh cautioned that even well-intentioned representations can misinterpret a person’s wishes. “I really think that it’s a very slippery slope to us losing control over our own identities and our own voice,” she stated. “And even family who love us and care deeply about us can misunderstand us and not know what we truly want. So I think that there will be, I think, a movement towards getting people to articulate clearly while they are alive the ways in which they’re willing to have their persona be used after death.”
Government Response and Future Regulations
The UK Government asserts that the Online Safety Act mandates platforms to remove illegal content,including AI-generated material,with Ofcom empowered to enforce substantial fines for non-compliance. A UK Government spokesperson emphasized that “AI must be a force for good – never a tool to exploit or harm, especially families who have already suffered a devastating loss.”
Despite the removal of the offending TikTok account and the existing legal framework, Jacqueline Gallacher feels the damage has been done. “My daughter is not here to tell her story, so I don’t understand why somebody would do that,” she said, expressing the profound grief of losing a child. “It’s arduous when you lose anybody but especially when it’s your child as you’re not supposed to lose your child, are you? I just miss her.”
