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Venice: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has gone public about a deepfake image of herself being shared online in an apparent attempt to turn voters against her, declaring it to be false and urging people to be wary of the “dangerous” tech trend.
Meloni took the unusual step of sharing the fake image – showing her in lingerie – to confront online critics who fell for the falsehood and complained that she should be ashamed of herself.
But she used her message to warn that many others could not use the power of their position to counter a deepfake image in public, and that this form of online attack could happen to anyone.
The scandal comes as the European Union investigates tech companies for giving users access to AI tools that enable the creation of nude and other images, while British regulator Ofcom also warns of a rise in fake images.
In other recent examples, German TV star Collien Fernandes went public about a deepfake porn video being shared online, while New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani was targeted by unknown enemies who produced fake images of him with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Meloni joked about the image on social media – saying it had “improved me quite a bit” – before declaring that it was probably a political attack by a “zealous opponent” to cost her support in the community.
“The point, however, goes beyond me,” she said on X.
“Deepfakes are a dangerous tool, because they can deceive, manipulate, and strike anyone. I can defend myself. Many others cannot.
“For this reason, one rule should always apply: verify before believing, and believe before sharing. Because today it happens to me, tomorrow it can happen to anyone.”
Fake images have been used against Meloni in the past, prompting her to take action in court last year against a Sicilian man accused of adding her face to a fake pornographic video. The prime minister sought €100,000 ($163,000) in damages in a bid to send a message to the community about the cost to perpetrators and the impact on victims.
Meloni’s supporters also complained about the use of false images and news during a referendum in February about changes to the justice system, in which voters rejected her calls for change.
The warning about the fake image heightens the concerns about AI when the powerful software tools are now easily accessible and mostly unregulated despite the debate about false images.
The EU began work last November on new rules for tech companies to govern the way AI content is produced so that it can be “marked” in some way to make it easier to detect.
But the regime is being described as a “voluntary instrument” under EU law that will not apply until August 2026, subject to consultation over the code of practice.
“It will support the marking of AI-generated content, including synthetic audio, images, video and text,” the EU said.
“The code will also assist deployers using deepfakes or AI-generated content in clearly disclosing AI involvement, particularly when informing the public on matters of public interest.”
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David Crowe is Europe correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via X or email.From our partners
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