An MEP is calling for more urgent action on removing non-consensual ‘deep fake’ AI-generated content.

A deepfake is an image, video or audio that uses AI to depict a real or non-existent person.

Yesterday, the EU's Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality voted in favour of a proposal from Irish MEP Maria Walsh to increase safeguards against deepfakes.

While deepfakes of celebrities may be seen as a source of amusement to some, Ms Walsh said they can have devastating consequences for those depicted.

"I proposed this piece of work [because of] the rise of intimate images that are AI-generated, predominantly of women and young girls," Ms Walsh said.

"Once an image is up there, online and on any of the platforms, it’s very difficult to remove instantly.

"It also circulates at a fast pace."

Threats to democracy

Ms Walsh said deepfakes are also on the rise in politics.

"Coming out of the US Election, you would have had a number of AI-generated voicenotes of President Biden supporting different candidates that were Republican," she said.

Female politicians, meanwhile, are often the target of non-consensual intimate deepfakes.

"Just before the Local and European Elections, we were told by an NGO here in Europe - EU DisinfoLab -that women running for election in the European Union could see non-consensual intimate deepfakes released of them," Ms Walsh said.

Image shows a woman looking at her phone in bed

In recent years, legislation has been introduced to crack down on deepfake non consensual imagery.

In Ireland, it is now a criminal offence to generate intimate imagery of a person using AI and the EU addresses deepfakes in the Digital Services Act.

However, Ms Walsh said as technology rapidly evolves, legislation must act fast in preventing deepfake abuse.

"We need to be clear that people creating this content need to face consequences," she said.

"We have to put restrictions in."

You can report non-consensual intimate imagery and other online crimes on Hotline.

Feature image shows MEP Maria Walsh (Sam Boal, RollingNews.ie) and the keyboard of a computer (Alamy).