Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had a bold response to suggestive AI-generated images of her circulating online.
AFP via Getty Images
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has warned the public not to be fooled by AI-generated images — by sharing one of herself posing in lingerie.
“Several fake photos of me are circulating, generated with artificial intelligence and passed off as real by some zealous opponent,” Meloni wrote on X and Facebook on Tuesday, alongside an image of her scantily clad in bed.
It’s unclear where the fake images of Meloni originated. The photos went viral, prompting criticism from some who said Italy’s first female prime minister had disgraced herself and demeaned the office she holds.
Meloni said the images should serve as a sobering reminder of how widespread deceptive content has become as generative AI tools make it easy to produce increasingly realistic images that spread online faster than they can be authenticated.
These can be harmless and entertaining, but they can also be used for scams, exploitation and misinformation during crises when public safety is already at risk.
The prime minister shared the lingerie shot superimposed with a post from someone calling themself Roberto saying that the fact that Meloni “would present herself in these conditions is truly shameful, unworthy of the institutional role she holds.”
Italy's prime minister reposted to social media an AI-generated image of herself in lingerie, along with a comment shaming her.
X screenshot by Leslie Katz
Meloni appeared able to find humor in the situation, joking that whoever created the images “has also improved me quite a bit.” But the incident, she stressed, is not just about her.
“Deepfakes are a dangerous tool, because they can deceive, manipulate and strike anyone,” she wrote. “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.”
Meloni joins a long list of public figure to appear in AI-generated images. In one of the most famous examples, artificial intelligence dressed Pope Francis in a giant white puffer coat, a low-stakes trick that nonetheless prompted him to warn of AI’s dangers.
Meloni’s decision to repost the suggestive image of her stands out as a bold response to the proliferation of AI fakery. It also underscores how common it has become for women to be targeted with fraudulent, sexualized images. Last year, similar manipulated images of Meloni surfaced on a pornographic website, along with doctored images of other high-profile women, opposition leader Elly Schlein.
The incident led to Italy becoming the first country in the European Union to approve a comprehensive law to limit AI’s misuse. The law makes AI-generated or AI-altered images, videos or voices a criminal offense when the content is shared without consent and can cause unjust harm.
Such figures are especially vulnerable because their images are widely available and instantly recognizable.
Last year, Meta removed more than a dozen such images of female actors and athletes after a CBS News investigation found a surfeit of AI-manipulated deepfake images on the company’s Facebook platform.
Meloni has not said whether she intends to pursue legal action over the images.
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