Lena Schilling calls for EU action against sexualized AI deepfakes

Austrian MEP Lena Schilling is calling for urgent European Union action following the discovery of AI-generated sexual deepfakes targeting her. Schilling described the experience as “disgusting” and noted the immense psychological burden of having to manually identify and report every instance of the falsified imagery to combat its spread.

Schilling’s case highlights a broader systemic issue within the European Parliament. According to a report by Agora Digital Transformation (ADT), approximately 50 MEPs have been targeted by sexualized deepfake materials, 46 of whom are women. Previous research suggests the scale may be even larger, with 138 female parliamentarians across 22 EU member states having been affected by similar practices. Experts warn that the use of artificial intelligence to create such content represents a “systemic threat to women in European politics.”

While Schilling has access to professional teams and resources to assist with removal requests, she noted that many other women facing similar abuses lack the tools and support necessary to manage the repetitive and exhausting process of reporting and deleting non-consensual imagery.