Sexual deepfakes are being used to intimidate women in politics, journalism and activism, as artificial intelligence tools turn fabricated explicit images into a cheap and easy weapon of online abuse. European Union lawmakers have now agreed to ban AI services that can “undress” people without consent, after a rise in cases targeting women in public life.
While victims include anonymous women and girls, those with a public profile are particularly exposed to the danger of deepfakes. Campaigners and experts say the images are designed not only to humiliate them, but to push them out of public debate.
