Giorgia Meloni criticises AI deepfake images shared online
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · May 5
Giorgia Meloni criticises AI deepfake images shared online
12 articles · Updated · The Guardian · May 5
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Italy's prime minister highlighted a viral fake lingerie image and said such fabrications had misled users and triggered abusive reactions.
Meloni called deepfakes a form of cyberbullying and warned they can deceive, manipulate and target anyone, urging people to verify content before believing or sharing it.
Her government made AI risks a priority, passing an AI law last September with penalties for harmful deepfakes after a pornographic site shared doctored images of Italian women.
Italy's AI law imposes prison time, but can any single nation truly stop anonymous global deepfake crime?
When official accounts spread deepfakes, how can anyone distinguish between political reality and AI-driven fiction?
As deepfake fraud costs billions, are new laws already obsolete against rapidly evolving AI technology?
Italy’s 2025 Deepfake Scandal: Meloni’s Legal Battle and the Fight Against Gendered AI Abuse
Overview
In 2025, non-consensual deepfake pornography of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and other prominent women sparked national outrage, highlighting the growing threat of AI-enabled gender-based abuse. Meloni condemned the attacks as cyberbullying and pursued legal action, while similar cases revealed a systemic problem targeting women in public life. Despite Italy's pioneering 2024 AI law criminalizing malicious deepfakes and mandating oversight, enforcement struggles persist due to cross-border challenges, platform cooperation issues, and limited law enforcement resources. The scandal intensified calls for stronger legal frameworks, technological solutions like watermarking, victim support, public education, and global policy alignment to effectively combat deepfake abuse and protect women's participation in politics.