Key facts
- Fifty EU lawmakers, 46 of whom are women, have been targeted by deepfake pornography.
- The report was released by Germany-based civil society group Agora Digitale Transformation.
- The EU will ban AI-powered nudifier apps on December 2.
- A letter was sent on September 30 to EU leaders by 119 MEPs urging enforcement of the ban and investigation into AI use on social media.
- Politicians find it difficult to avoid being targeted by AI nudifiers due to their online presence.
Fifty members of the European Parliament, including 46 women, have been targeted by deepfake pornography, according to a report released on Monday by Agora Digitale Transformation, a Germany-based civil society group. The report indicates that approximately one in six female members of the European Parliament have been affected by the use of generative AI to create sexually explicit depictions without consent.
In response to these concerns, the European Union is set to ban AI-powered nudifier apps on December 2. Additionally, investigations are underway into similar uses of AI, such as Grok, on the social media platform X.
A cross-party group of 119 MEPs sent a letter on September 30 to key EU officials, including Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Parliament President Roberta Metsola, urging effective enforcement of the ban and prompt resolution of the investigation. Signatories included leaders of major political groups.
Austrian Greens MEP Lena Schilling emphasized the need for "no loopholes or delays" in enforcing the ban. Benjamin Shultz, a co-author of the report, noted the difficulty for politicians to avoid being targeted due to their online presence and called for accountability from entities enabling the nudifier industry, including payment processors and domain registrars. The report also suggested that search engines should de-index websites promoting AI nudifiers.