In the new world of deep fakes and morphed images, are women at a greater risk of exploitation?

Increase in AI tools being used to create digitally manipulated images, videos (Image via ChatGPT)

The rapid rise of artificial intelligence has blurred the distinction between the real and the fake. Starting with realistic videos and perfectly altered images, deepfakes have changed the way we understand and perceive the truth on the internet.

However, under this technology-advanced world, there is a frightening fact: the tools are being excessively used as weapons, especially against women and girls. It began as a harmless digital experiment and has now become one of the most troubling and threatening gendered issues of the digital era.

Deep Fakes: A gendered threat

Although deep fakes started as an art, film, and gaming tool, they have now become a weapon of humiliation. Research indicates that more than 90 per cent of deep fake content is directed to women, often without their consent. What’s more alarming is that even school and college students make morphed images of their classmates to make fun of them or spread them online.

To a young girl, discovering a fake version of herself being published on a social network may leave a permanent psychological trauma, can lead to shame, isolation, and fear of judgment, which may not always be limited to the digital world.

Where technology meets the digital divide

Victims in large cities can report or challenge the fake images with the help of access to information and digital literacy. However, in tier-2 and tier-3 areas, the digital divide transforms such events into social disasters. Most victims are blamed, not supported. The parents, who recently adopted the internet, are unfamiliar with AI. In most situations, they tend to believe the morphed image as the truth.

Imagine seeking a naked image of your daughter being circulated in WhatsApp groups. Asian parents, who are known for restrictive parenting and unhealthy comparison of their kids with others. Their first instinct would be to accuse their daughter of something she has no idea about.

The women, brought up in a traditional household, would be scared to even report something like this to their parents or authorities. As a single viral fake can ruin their reputations, end their education, or even their marriage prospects. It's an alarming demonstration of how the damage of technology is magnified in areas with low awareness about AI.

Real stories, real losses

Sadly, there are cases of deep fake harassment where victims went to extreme measures, resulting in them ending their lives. Numerous instances have been recorded in South Asia and other parts of the world.

In 2023, a teenager in Uttarakhand was in the news after she committed su*cide following her viral morphed deep fake photos. Such cases reveal how digital cruelty or a simple fun joke can lead to an irreversible loss. Beyond individual incidences, this has become a cultural issue that reflects in technology being used to magnify already existing gender bias.

Ethics, empathy, and the internet

It is not just unknown individuals, but even celebrities and influencers who face the misuse of deep fakes. The morphed images of celebrities are spread every day on social media, often shared casually for a quick laugh. But behind every share lies an ethical question- to what point is digital creativity exploited?

Distorting the images or videos of someone and objectifying without their consent, even of a public figure, through technology has been normalized. It teaches viewers, particularly young men, that women's images can be edited and shared freely without any consent.

From awareness to action: Building a safe space online

Technology can be a part of the solution. Cyber laws, watermarking systems, and AI detection tools are evolving. But the stronger shield we need is not only digital but human. It is important to educate users and build empathy.

Online behaviour is reflected in the real world. As long as society objectifies women in the real world, the internet will mirror these attitudes in the online world. Responsible innovation can only be built upon a culture of respect in society.

Deep fake fight isn’t just about technology but empathy, responsibility, and awareness. The best defence we can develop as we enter more and more into an AI-driven world is not software, but sensitivity and awareness. The digital future should not be solely smart; it should also be human.

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