Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has condemned an AI-generated deepfake image of herself as a deliberate political attack.
The fake image showed her posed in bed in lingerie. It was one of several manipulated images shared across social media in recent weeks in an attempt to publicly shame her.
Meloni reshared the image herself, labelling it as fake, and encouraging users to “think before sharing”.
Here’s what you need to know.
Deepfakes
Deepfakes are realistic fabricated or manipulated videos and/or images designed to mislead viewers, often created using AI.
A 2023 study from online privacy group Security Hero estimated 98% of deepfake content online is sexually explicit, with 99% of victims being women.
Women in politics are also disproportionately targeted, with pornographic deepfakes often created to discredit female politicians.
Meloni
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In recent weeks, sexually explicit AI-generated images of Meloni began circulating online.
One image showed her posed in bed in lingerie. The post, shared by a social media user, claimed she should be “ashamed” of herself.
Meloni reshared the image on X, warning that “deepfakes are a dangerous tool because they can deceive, manipulate, and harm anyone. I can defend myself. Many others cannot.”
Here's her full statement:
"Several fake photos of me have been circulating these days, generated with artificial intelligence and passed off as real by some eager opponents.
I must admit that whoever created them, at least in the case attached, has also improved me considerably. But the fact remains that, in order to attack and invent falsehoods, people are using anything and everything these days.
The point, however, goes beyond me. Deepfakes are a dangerous tool because they can deceive, manipulate, and harm anyone. I can defend myself. Many others cannot.
This is why one rule should always apply: verify before believing, and believe before sharing. Because today it happens to me, tomorrow it could happen to anyone."
