Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez recently revealed her personal experience with AI-generated deepfake pornography. She emphasized that this issue is not to be dismissed as imaginary, as it has significant real-world implications. Ocasio-Cortez recounted the distress she felt when she encountered an AI-generated image of herself engaging in a sexual act while discussing legislation with her team in February. The psychological impact of seeing such an image, especially for someone who has experienced sexual assault, cannot be underestimated. Ocasio-Cortez highlighted the difficulty our brains have in separating distressing images viewed on a screen from reality, even when we know they are fake.

She stressed that the effects are far-reaching, not only for the victims but also for those who consume and are exposed to these contents. The congresswoman drew attention to the comparison of digital violation to physical rape, emphasizing the grave harm it causes. She expressed concern for the well-being of individuals, including young people, who may be driven to extreme measures due to the distress caused by nonconsensual AI porn. In response, Ocasio-Cortez is leading the charge for the DEFIANCE Act of 2024, a legislative endeavor aimed at providing victims with the ability to pursue legal action against publishers, distributors, and consumers of explicit AI-generated forgeries.