Artificial intelligence is going to take over the world — but first, it’s going to take over women’s bodies. Current media is oversaturated with warnings of the inevitable AI doomsday. However, by engaging in AI-doomerism, we overlook the most pressing issue AI has created: deepfake pornography. A 2019 Sensity report found that 96% of all deepfakes found online are nonconsensual pornographic videos, with 99% of these videos being of women. Yet, mainstream media continues to rhapsodize about the potential dangers of AI rather than taking action against its actualized threats.
I am no exception — I too focused on the potential threats of AI rather than looking into the harm it is currently inflicting. I entered this project with the expectation of raising awareness to the dangers AI posed to politics. Yet, my research forced me to confront the truth: that a plethora of warnings about AI’s threat to politics already existed, and that the most widespread form of damage caused by AI — deepfake pornography — was grossly underrepresented. Thereafter, I pivoted. It was clear that this predicament took precedence over hazy what-ifs or worst-case scenarios.
I was taken aback during my research by the sheer lack of repercussions for deepfake pornography creators despite the content having the potential to ruin lives. The quick development of deepfake technology meant its implementation outpaced the enactment of proper regulatory laws. Governments continue to lag behind — but their inaction has real consequences.
Women have consistently been mistreated by the pornography industry — Elizabeth Bruenig’s article for The Atlantic, “Modern Porn Education Is Totally Unprepared for Modern Porn,” argues for the necessity of porn education when considering the increasingly violent and graphic pornography accessible today. Child pornography, revenge porn, and nonconsensual sexual encounters frequent popular pornographic websites like Pornhub. Adding deepfake technology into the mix opens up a whole new world of possibilities for exploitation in the porn industry — minors have already been targeted by creators of deepfake pornography, in addition to the many nonconsenting women depicted in these videos.
To raise awareness to this issue, I remixed videos of women sharing their experiences with deepfake pornography to allow them to reclaim their stories when they had already lost ownership of their faces. Victims spoke about how their own faces were taken away from them. They spoke about the overwhelming shame they felt for an act they never consented to, or even committed. Most of all, they spoke about the lack of legal recourse afforded to them by their governments.
Still, it is rather ironic to use media to combat deepfake pornography. In remixing these videos, am I not also partaking in the commodification of these women’s bodies? While my intention is different from those of deepfake pornography creators, the core issue remains the same: global digitalization means that people’s identities can now be seized by anyone on the internet.
It remains imperative that the general public is informed of the real damage deepfake technology is inflicting today. We must enact legislation protecting women from deepfake exploitation.
Works Cited
“‘Absolutely terrifying’: Martin Lewis’ warning as deep fake video of him appears online | ITV News.” Youtube, uploaded by ITV News, 7 July 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVwnAlUgu7k
“AI and pornography: Can deepfakes be stopped? • FRANCE 24 English.” Youtube, uploaded by France 24 English, 27 March 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWLH-WTEmmY
“AI-generated porn: a nightmare for women | Tech It Out.” Youtube, uploaded by WION, 22 April 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbynxJcSZD4
“Deepfake porn is ‘so scary for a woman.'” Youtube, uploaded by Sky News, 25 Nov. 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZrgR8Y9xZc
“How nonconsensual deepfake porn targets women l ABC News.” Youtube, uploaded by ABC News, 15 June 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8K4e2YYrtk
“How the Obama / Jordan Peele DEEPFAKE actually works | Ian Hislop’s Fake News – BBC.” Youtube, uploaded by BBC News, 16 Oct. 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5wLaJYBAm4
“Illegal trade in AI-generated child sex abuse images exposed – BBC News.” Youtube, uploaded by BBC News, 28 June 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEAOhJPCg4c
“Innocent Social Posts Turned Into Deepfake Porn.” Youtube, uploaded by Inside Edition, 10 May 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkGnPeY6Csk
“Online predators spread fake porn of me. Here’s how I fought back | Noelle Martin.” Youtube, uploaded by TED, 9 March 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXeAWdHP0uY
“Rana Ayyub ‘They stuck my face on to a porn clip’ – BBC News.” Youtube, uploaded by BBC News, 19 June 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Mjr6_mhAxg
“The battle against deepfake pornography | Tech It Out.” Youtube, uploaded by WION, 22 April 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgLl8Ay6IJU
“The dangers of AI in the porn industry | DW Documentary.” Youtube, uploaded by DW Documentary, n.d., https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0o0X3-3l0s
“The most urgent threat of deepfakes isn’t politics.” Youtube, uploaded by Vox, 8 June 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHHCrf2-x6w
“What are deepfakes and are they dangerous? | Start Here.” Youtube, uploaded by Al Jazeera English, 21 June 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkF3m5wVUYI
“Women face new sexual harassment with deepfake pornography.” Youtube, uploaded by PBS NewsHour, 27 June 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnIGoMi_jUw
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