"Prime Minister in Underwear?"... Italy's Meloni Posts Herself to Warn of Deepfake Dangers

Posts Deepfake Image on Social Media to Issue Warning
Urges, "Think Again Before Sharing"

Giorgia Meloni, Prime Minister of Italy, directly released a deepfake image of herself in underwear and warned, "Think again before you share." By making public a sexually objectified, manipulated photo of herself, she called attention to the dangers of deepfakes.

An AI-manipulated image shared by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on the 5th (local time). Screenshot from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's social media.

According to reports from The Guardian and Reuters on the 5th (local time), Prime Minister Meloni posted on her social media account a recent AI deepfake image of herself that has been circulating online. The photo shows Prime Minister Meloni sitting on a bed in underwear and smiling, but it is a manipulated image, not a real photograph.

She also shared a user's post that criticized her, saying, "It is truly shameful for the prime minister to appear like this and she is unfit for public office," after believing the image to be real. She highlighted the reality that some people accept fake photos as fact.

Prime Minister Meloni joked, "Whoever made it did improve my appearance quite a bit," but added, "This incident shows that any means can be used to attack people and spread disinformation."

She went on to say, "This goes beyond being just my problem," and pointed out, "Deepfakes are dangerous tools that can deceive, manipulate, and attack anyone." She emphasized, "I can defend myself, but many people cannot."

Prime Minister Meloni stated, "The principle that you should verify before believing and think again about trustworthiness before sharing must always apply," adding, "What happened to me today could happen to anyone tomorrow."

Her post quickly spread and was viewed millions of times. Her remarks drew attention as a national leader publicly disclosed her own deepfake image, highlighting the issue of AI ethics. There is particular concern over the risk that AI-manipulated content can spread further when combined with political attacks.

Two years ago, Prime Minister Meloni also filed a defamation lawsuit against a man who had created and distributed manipulated obscene material using her face.

Last year, Italy became the first among European Union (EU) countries to introduce comprehensive legislation regulating AI. The law includes provisions that allow for criminal penalties, such as imprisonment, for those who unlawfully distribute AI-generated or manipulated content that causes harm to others.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.