New Zealand MP Laura McClure bravely took a stand against the growing threat of deepfake technology in a shocking display last month, holding up a manipulated, naked image of herself on the floor of Parliament. The image, which McClure revealed had taken less than five minutes to create online, was censored for broadcast purposes but served as a powerful illustration of the potential dangers posed by deepfakes.
"This image is a naked image of me, but it's not real," she told the House on Wednesday (May 14).
Discussing the dangers of deepfakes, she added, "For the victims, it is degrading, and it is devastating. It gave me the creeps having to stand in Parliament and hold up the photo of myself, even knowing that it's not actually me."
Sharing the image on her own Instagram account, she wrote, "Today in Parliament, I showed an AI-generated nude deepfake of myself to show how real - and easy - these are to create. The problem isn't the tech itself, but how it's being misused to abuse people. Our laws need to catch up."
MP Laura McClure described the moment as "absolutely terrifying" in an interview with Sky News, noting that despite knowing the image was fake, its realism was disturbing.
"I felt like it needed to be done; it needed to be shown how important this is and how easy it is to do, and also how much it can look like yourself," she said.
Ms. McClure wants to amend current legislation that makes it illegal to share nude photographs without consent to include deepfakes.
"I believe they are just as harmful, if not more, than the real thing because people can put you into all kinds of depraved videos, for example," she said.
She says the problem isn't the technology, but rather its misuse.
