World3 min(s) read
Published 16:18 05 May 2026 GMT
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has shared pictures of herself wearing lingerie that have been created with AI and hit out at the creators of ‘deepfakes’.
The Italian leader joked at how the posters had ‘improved [her] quite a bit', but made a very serious point about how AI is used.
Sharing pictures of herself that had been generated using AI on Twitter, the Italian Prime Minister said [translated from Italian]: “In these days, several fake photos of me are circulating, generated with artificial intelligence and passed off as real by some zealous opponent.
“I must admit that whoever created them, at least in the attached case, has also improved me quite a bit.
“But the fact remains that, just to attack and invent falsehoods, nowadays anything at all is used.
“The point, however, goes beyond me.
“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.”
This is an important point, because deepfaking has become much more prevalent in recent times given the huge leaps forward in the sophistication of AI image and video generation.
In recent times, Grok - the X AI chatbot - has had to be limited in which images it can and cannot generate after a scandal surrounding users asking for deepfakes of celebrities and even minors.
This problem is far from a new one, with celebrities such as Taylor Swift speaking out as early as January 2024.
Taylor Swift was affected badly after pictures depicting her in sexual and violent scenes were shared on X and 4chan, with one post seen a reported 47 million times.
The controversy sparked a wider debate about the uses of this technology, and Swift reportedly even considered legal action.
It’s not just the female celebrities, either - although it is predominantly.
Tom Hanks also found himself at the center of a deepfake furore after being forced to deny his involvement in promoting a dental plan.
Other victims of deepfaking include Scarlett Johansson, MrBeast, and even Oprah Winfrey and Piers Morgan.
People were broadly supportive of Meloni in coming forward to speak out against the deepfakes.
One person wrote: “Giorgia, they're just jealous and scoundrels. You have all my support.”
“While being in total disagreement with her belligerent policies,” one wrote.
“Which I consider harmful to the country, I join in the indignation over the dissemination of an image that harms her dignity and honorability.”
“Full solidarity President,” wrote a third.
The question remains, with the rise of AI and the huge developments in the technology, how can this be legislated against, and is there anything that can be done to stop it?
With X being as it is since Elon Musk took over, it's hard to see a world in which we don't hear more - not less - stories like this going forward.
