WELLINGTON – A New Zealand Member of Parliament has garnered significant attention for an unconventional act in the House: displaying an AI-generated fake nude photograph of herself. The striking move was intended to highlight the alarming ease with which such images can be created and the severe harm they can inflict, as she champions the need for new legislation to address this burgeoning issue.
In a video message shared on social media, McLeay explained her motivation: “I wanted to draw the attention of other Members of Parliament to how easy it is to do this and how much harm it is causing. Especially how our young Kiwis are being affected.” She emphasized, “Technology is not the problem, but the problem is that it is being misused to harass people. We need to make laws for this.”
McLeay is a vocal supporter of the proposed Deepfake Digital Harm and Exploitation Bill. This legislation reportedly seeks to amend existing laws related to revenge pornography and non-consensual sharing of private recordings, making the creation and distribution of deepfakes without consent a criminal offense. Furthermore, the bill aims to provide victims with a clear pathway to have such content removed and seek justice.
In another post, McLeay underscored her stance, writing, “Nobody should be a target of deepfakes.” She concluded that current laws are unprepared for this challenge, and this “has to change.”
