How AI sex videos are harming women
Former actress Kate Bell asked to borrow her partner’s laptop. When he opened it he couldn’t believe what he saw; sex videos of her and two other women, as well as numerous sexualized images altered using artificial intelligence.
It got worse. He found dozens more folders containing deepfake images devoted to female friends and acquaintances. “Some of it is in our business world, in our friendship groups,” Bell said.
Bell never imagined that such horrific images could be created by someone he knew, let alone the man he should trust most. “I died, I definitely died that day,” he said 60 Minutes. “I was extremely afraid of sharing a supervised home with someone whose personality was obnoxious.”
The 42-year-old artist claims he is the victim of mind-boggling digital abuse. There’s no evidence that Bell’s former partner shared sexual content online, but that’s little comfort to Bell, who now works in cybersecurity.
“This is the fastest way to dehumanize a woman,” she said. “You no longer need to slander him or whisper rumors, you can literally create a deepfake that he did something rude and that’s it.
“[It was] really aggressive pornography. Images of me being superimposed completely naked, with a penis in my face, one in front, one in the back, and my arms being pulled.”
Bell reported his former partner to the police. He spent 12 hours meticulously examining what he thought was a huge pile of evidence. But the investigation hit a wall. His former partner refused to tell detectives the password to his mobile phone, limiting their ability to examine whether he had shared any of the explicit material online (a claim he denies).
“I have a laptop here full of evidence, but you can’t use it because the original source material is on the phone,” Bell said.
Bell’s former partner faced two charges of filming Kate without her consent. Although they both pleaded guilty, he appealed his conviction and claimed he secretly filmed their sexual encounter because he was mentally ill.
While the judge rejected the appeal, the man was spared a criminal conviction. “That to me shows that you don’t see this as a real crime,” Bell said.
If Bell’s former partner had produced the same material today, he would face up to three years in prison due to new laws introduced in February to curb digital exploitation created by artificial intelligence.
NSW Cyber Crime Command Detective Inspector Matt Craft said the case highlighted the need for law enforcement to keep pace with rapidly evolving technology.
“It’s very clear in the legislation that if you create images using artificial intelligence, whether it’s an image or a recording, that will be a criminal offence,” he said. “Dissemination of this material is also a criminal offence. So the circumstances will be completely different.”
Although the investigation into Bell’s former partner has not been reopened, cybercrime police say it sends a clear message. “He is now aware that his previous behavior was not tolerated and that it was an offense punishable by imprisonment,” Craft said.
Bell hopes sharing her story will highlight the importance of respecting women’s safety. “I’ve been through hell and I want to make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else,” Bell said.
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