Meloni deepfake showing underwear fuels backlash and AI concerns

By Gabriele Barbati Published on 06/05/2026 - 10:38 GMT+2 Share Comments Share Facebook Twitter Flipboard Send Reddit Linkedin Messenger Telegram VK Bluesky Threads Whatsapp

An image circulating online and on social media shows the prime minister in her underwear, a composite created with AI. Meloni reposted it, urging Italians to be vigilant. Opposition parties respond with both solidarity and criticism.

Giorgia Meloni raises the alarm against deepfakes, showing an example of a fake photo, generated with artificial intelligence, in which her face has been applied to the body of a woman in underwear.

ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT

The image, which has been circulating online these days, is being 'passed off as real by some diligent opponent', explains the Prime Minister, republishing the post of a user who called it 'shameful' that a Prime Minister should present herself in such conditions.

The risks of digital manipulation in politics

In her post, the premier warns that ' deepfakes are a dangerous tool, because they can deceive, manipulate and affect anyone'.

Already five years ago, the face of the leader of Fratelli d'Italia was used for a fake sex video published on a pornographic site, a case that led to a trial in Sassari.

On the fake image of her, Meloni chose irony ("whoever made it has improved me a lot"), while reiterating the seriousness of the phenomenon:"In order to attack and invent falsehoods, by now really anything is used".

But she expressed concern for citizens who might not have the means to defend themselves, advising a rule: 'Check before you believe, and believe before you share'.

This is not the first time that the artificial intelligence emergency has impacted Italian politics. In addition to previous personal attacks on the premier, there have been various fake campaigns on social media, such as the one during the referendum on justice, characterised by hundreds of fake profiles and coordinated slogans.

The premier received the solidarity of several parliamentarians. "We must be ready to counter the pitfalls of the web, protecting women who are victims of it, especially at a delicate time when online manipulation is unfortunately on the increase," said Lega Nord deputy Simonetta Matone.

For the 5Stelle Movement senator Alessandra Maiorino, the digital identity obligation is "an issue that can no longer be postponed, the web cannot continue to remain the jungle without rules that it is now".

According to Chamber of Deputies vice-president Anna Ascani (Democratic Party), Meloni 'forgets that her government has also acted here with the usual scheme: introducing a crime. Nothing more useless', because 'there is a lack of a regulation that allows the authorities in charge to ask platforms to remove content immediately'.

The reference is to law 132/2025 (source in Italian), which amended the Criminal Code to punish the non-consensual dissemination of content generated or altered with AI 'causing unjust damage' with imprisonment from 1 to 5 years. Other initiatives to complete the legislation are currently being studied by the Italian Parliament.

Go to accessibility shortcuts Share Comments

Read more

'Virtual rape': AI and deepfakes are silencing women in public life, UN report

Deepfakes of frontline Ukrainian soldiers aim to undermine morale

EU Commission examining concerns over childlike sexual images generated by Elon Musk’s Grok

• Giorgia Meloni
• Artificial intelligence
• Italy
• Social Media