We've done a decent amount of research on the use of GAN-generated images over the last two years, mostly fake face "photos" such as those produced by thispersondoesnotexist(dot)com. Here are all of our related threads in one place.

cc: @ZellaQuixote https://twitter.com/conspirator0/status/1096877542521344002
GAN is an abbreviation for "generative adversarial network", the AI technique used to produce these images (and other things). Here's a "brief" description of how StyleGAN, the GAN behind thispersondoesnotexist(dot)com, works. https://machinelearningmastery.com/introduction-to-style-generative-adversarial-network-stylegan/
A Gentle Introduction to StyleGAN the Style Generative Adversarial Network - Machine Learning...

Generative Adversarial Networks, or GANs for short, are effective at generating large high-quality images. Most improvement has been made to discriminator models in an effort to train more effective...

https://machinelearningmastery.com/introduction-to-style-generative-adversarial-network-stylegan/
Here's the first network we found in the wild using GAN-generated face pics (29 of 52 accounts, created in two batches). The profiles featured repetitive biographies mentioning family, friends, country, and weapons.
https://twitter.com/conspirator0/status/1208974928227135488 https://twitter.com/conspirator0/status/1206046245183246338
Next up, a coronavirus/bitcoin-themed botnet from March 2020. 16 of 28 accounts used GAN-generated face pics. https://twitter.com/conspirator0/status/1239679591809237003
In May 2020, we ran into a set of five fake pro-Biden accounts, all using the same GAN-generated profile pic. These accounts self-deleted shortly after this thread was posted. https://twitter.com/conspirator0/status/1263255161281163264
Our first stab at a programmatic method for detecting GAN-generated face pics. This technique is designed to make the GAN-generated pictures easier to notice in groups of thousands of images - it isn't terribly accurate for individual images. https://twitter.com/conspirator0/status/1265499541861797890
From May 2020, a 41 account Spanish-language botnet using GAN-generated profile images, with a focus on Argentina. https://twitter.com/conspirator0/status/1266061446317826048
Next, a 4chan op using accounts with GAN-generated pics to push the #BernReturn hashtag alongside a bogus claim that Bernie Sanders was returning campaign donations. https://twitter.com/conspirator0/status/1277576575219912704
Speaking of 4chan, thispersondoesnotexist(dot)com is quite popular over there, and folks frequently suggest using it as a source of profile pics for bogus Twitter accounts.
https://twitter.com/conspirator0/status/1277267253659082752
https://twitter.com/conspirator0/status/1290050442345345025 https://twitter.com/conspirator0/status/1286878425362440193
Here's a thread on now-suspended part-automated political troll account @Juan6million. This account mostly pushed left-wing messaging and hashtags, but also promoted alt-right talking points and influencers such as @MrAndyNgo. https://twitter.com/conspirator0/status/1292137801455218688
The most prolific use of GAN-generated profile pics we've seen thus far was from the "Thousand Followers" follower-buying website (presently on hiatus). 8727 of 17957 of the fake Twitter followers provided by this site used GAN-generated images. https://twitter.com/conspirator0/status/1294824510085050374
From August 2020, a mixed commerical/political retweet botnet consisting of 21 accounts using GAN-generated face pics. https://twitter.com/conspirator0/status/1297237247314604032
We've run across a couple of botnets promoting cryptocurrency sites that use GAN-generated profile pics: 41 accounts pushing cointelegraph(dot)com and 28 accounts pushing ethereumcryptocurrency(dot)com.
https://twitter.com/conspirator0/status/1317565827311456259 https://twitter.com/conspirator0/status/1322603375477796866
Deepfake human faces are not the only sort of images one can produce with GANs. Here's a thread on GAN-generated anime pics, and the detection thereof: https://twitter.com/conspirator0/status/1320226536566542338
From November 2020, a fake follower/retweet botnet using GAN-generated profile pics (164 accounts). https://twitter.com/conspirator0/status/1324564750819332097
A similar network follower/retweet botnet created in August 2020. 53 accounts, all using GAN-generated pics. It mostly amplifies Russian-language accounts. https://twitter.com/conspirator0/status/1329923054034673665?s=20
Thread on a weird automated account ( @jtatejtate1) using a GAN-generated face. A bunch of its followers are part of a recently reactivated botnet from 2013. https://twitter.com/conspirator0/status/1327639365720346627
Using reverse image search to find Twitter accounts using GAN-generated profile pics: https://twitter.com/conspirator0/status/1332141000379265025
Another botnet using GAN-generated profile pics: 6 accounts created in August 2020 pushing links to online gambling "news" site timesofcasino(dot)com. https://twitter.com/conspirator0/status/1340777491951210502
The gambling "news" botnet turned out to be part of a larger network of (at least) 65 accounts with GAN-generated profile pics linking to cryptocurrency/gambling news sites whose "authors" use the same GAN-generated pics as the Twitter bots linking them. https://twitter.com/conspirator0/status/1341917542223376384
Another network using GAN-generated pics: 12 automated accounts created (mostly) in December 2020 that link various cryptocurrency sites. https://twitter.com/conspirator0/status/1344062501185609729
A new botnet with GAN-generated profile pics for the new year: 11 accounts linking "news" site whose "authors" also have GAN-generated pics. https://twitter.com/conspirator0/status/1350237648540069888?s=20
Another set of "news" sites with GAN-generated "authors". 13 online gambling/forex trading-themed sites with 70 "authors", each with an associated Twitter account. https://twitter.com/conspirator0/status/1355309461217357824
Here's a trio of accounts with GAN-generated pics that have spam-tagging @buzz_chronicles to cause it to harvest thousands of threads. https://twitter.com/conspirator0/status/1356802348849520640
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