Research: 7% of people in Australia, the UK and the USA say they have become victims of sexualized AI deepfakes
A study of 7 230 respondents from Australia, the UK and the USA found that 7% of adults had been victims of non-consensual sexualized AI deepfakes, and 3.2% admitted to having created or spread such content. According to the eSafety Commissioner, reports from children doubled in the 18 months to June 2025.
A team of researchers published the results of a survey of 7 230 adults in Australia, the United Kingdom and the USA from July 2024 on The Conversation. According to the study, 7% of respondents had become victims of non-consensual sexualized deepfakes created using AI, and 3.2% admitted to having created, shared, or threatened to share such content about someone else without their consent. The authors note that the actual prevalence is likely higher, because many victims never learn that such images exist, and perpetrators may not admit to their actions even in an anonymous survey.
According to the research, the tools for creating these images — so-called "nudify" apps that remove clothing from photos, as well as general-purpose AI image generators — are easily accessible and often free, which widens the pool of potential victims and perpetrators, including young people. According to the Australian eSafety Commissioner, the number of reports from children concerning digitally altered intimate images, including deepfakes, more than doubled in the 18 months to June 2025 compared with the total number of reports over the previous seven years; four out of five of these reports concerned girls.
According to the research, the perpetrators' motivations included not only revenge or intent to harm, but also humor, experimenting with the technology, or trying to "show off" in front of peers. Victims most often described anger, feelings of humiliation, shame, fear, and helplessness, with women reporting a wider range of negative impacts than men.
The authors call for stricter obligations on technology companies — building in safeguards against misuse of AI tools, making it harder to spread harmful content, and providing accessible reporting mechanisms and rapid removal. They mention the Australian digital duty of care bill submitted to parliament, which would impose an obligation on AI image-generation tools to protect users, and cite as an example the criminalization of developing and providing "nudify" tools in the United Kingdom.
Why it matters
The study demonstrates that sexualized AI deepfakes are no longer just a problem for celebrities, but affect the general population, including children, due to the easy availability of tools that often require no technical knowledge. For individuals, this means a real risk of their own photos being misused and the need to know where to turn in such a case. For companies developing AI tools for generating or editing images, this represents a growing regulatory risk — Australia is preparing a statutory duty of care, and the United Kingdom has already criminalized the development and provision of "nudify" tools, which increases legal and reputational pressure to implement safeguards against misuse.
Two audiences, two different impacts
What this means
For individuals
Research shows that the risk of personal photos being misused to create non-consensual sexualized deepfakes also affects ordinary people, not just public figures, and victims often encounter disbelief from those around them.
For a business
Companies developing or providing AI tools for generating or editing images face growing regulatory pressure — from the planned Australian duty of care to the criminalization of "nudify" tools in the United Kingdom — and the risk that their products will be misused to create non-consensual sexualized content.
Risks and complianceCheck the original
Event sources
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