UN Women report says AI, anonymity and lack of effective laws are increasing the risks of engaging in digital spaces
Women in public life are facing growing and increasingly sophisticated forms of online violence, the UN has said, warning that “AI-assisted ‘virtual rape’ is now at the fingertips of perpetrators”.
Female rights campaigners, journalists and other public communicators face a deepening threat due to a combination of artificial intelligence, anonymity and the absence of effective laws and accountability, a report by UN Women found.
Of more than 1,500 women in public life, 6% said they had been victims of deepfakes, while nearly a third said they had received unsolicited sexual advances online. About 12% said they had had images of themselves shared without their consent, including intimate or sexual content.
“Artificial intelligence is making abuse easier and more damaging,” said Kalliopi Mingeirou, who leads UN Women’s efforts to end violence against women. “While anonymity, as well as the speed of how this information and narratives circulate in mainstream media, make this content more dangerous.”
