Incident and discovery
Austrian Green MEP Lena Schilling has revealed that she recently found sexually explicit AI‑generated images of herself circulating online and has called on the European Union to take stronger action against such abuse. Schilling said she had been “stripped naked” in images created without her consent and that opening the links left her feeling “disgusted.”
She told reporters she first became aware of the deepfakes last month. The images, she said, appeared to be derived from footage of one of her earliest press conferences, digitally altered to remove her clothing. Schilling described the material as “digital violence against women” and warned it constituted a broader “threat to democracy.”
Report findings and wider pattern
Her account comes amid a report finding that one in six female members of the European Parliament has been targeted by sexualised, AI‑generated content. The emergence of such material has intensified concerns about the use of artificial intelligence to produce non‑consensual intimate imagery and to intimidate or discredit public figures, particularly women.
Calls for policy response
Schilling urged EU institutions and lawmakers to respond to the problem, saying elected representatives need stronger protections against this form of online abuse. She and other critics stress that tackling the proliferation of deepfakes will require a mix of legal measures, platform cooperation and enforcement mechanisms to deter creators and distributors of non‑consensual synthetic imagery.
Implications for politics and technology
Experts and campaigners have warned that sexualised deepfakes targeting politicians can have chilling effects on public participation and undermine trust in democratic debate. The spread of easily produced, convincing manipulated images raises complex questions about how technology companies, regulators and law enforcement should act to protect individuals while preserving free expression.
Schilling’s disclosure adds to growing calls within EU political circles for clearer rules and resources to combat AI‑enabled harassment, and is likely to intensify debate over how the bloc should balance technological innovation with safeguarding personal rights and the integrity of public life.