One in four unconcerned by sexual deepfakes created without consent, survey finds
One in four people think there is nothing wrong with creating and sharing sexual deepfakes, or they feel neutral about it, even when the person depicted has not consented, according to a police-commissioned survey,The findings prompted a senior police officer to warn that the use of AI is accelerating an epidemic in violence against women and girls (VAWG), and that technology companies are complicit in this abuse,The survey of 1,700 people commissioned by the office of the police chief scientific adviser found 13% felt there was nothing wrong with creating and sharing sexual or intimate deepfakes – digitally altered content made using AI without consent,A further 12% felt neutral about the moral and legal acceptability of making and sharing such deepfakes,Det Ch Supt Claire Hammond, from the national centre for VAWG and public protection, reminded the public that “sharing intimate images of someone without their consent, whether they are real images or not, is deeply violating”.
Commenting on the survey findings, she said: “The rise of AI technology is accelerating the epidemic of violence against women and girls across the world,Technology companies are complicit in this abuse and have made creating and sharing abusive material as simple as clicking a button, and they have to act now to stop it,”She urged victims of deepfakes to report any images to the police,Hammond said: “This is a serious crime, and we will support you,No one should suffer in silence or shame.
”Creating non-consensual sexually explicit deepfakes is a criminal offence under the new Data Act.The report, by the crime and justice consultancy Crest Advisory, found that 7% of respondents had been depicted in a sexual or intimate deepfake.Of these, only 51% had reported it to the police.Among those who told no one, the most commonly cited reasons were embarrassment and uncertainty that the offence would be treated seriously.The data also suggested that men under 45 were likely to find it acceptable to create and share deepfakes.
This group was also more likely to view pornography online and agree with misogynistic views, and feel positively towards AI.But the report said this association of age and gender with such views was weak and it called for further research to explore this apparent association.One in 20 of the respondents admitted they had created deepfakes in the past.More than one in 10 said they would create one in the future.And two-thirds of respondents said they had seen, or might have seen, a deepfake.
The report’s author, Callyane Desroches, head of policy and strategy at Crest Advisory, warned that the creation of deepfakes was “becoming increasingly normalised as the technology to make them becomes cheaper and more accessible”.She added: “While some deepfake content may seem harmless, the vast majority of video content is sexualised – and women are overwhelmingly the targets.“We are deeply concerned about what our research has highlighted – that there is a cohort of young men who actively watch pornography and hold views that align with misogyny who see no harm in viewing, creating and sharing sexual deepfakes of people without their consent.”Cally Jane Beech, an activist who campaigns for better protection for victims of deepfake abuse, said: “We live in very worrying times, the futures of our daughters (and sons) are at stake if we don’t start to take decisive action in the digital space soon.She added: “We are looking at a whole generation of kids who grew up with no safeguards, laws or rules in place about this, and are now seeing the dark ripple effect of that freedom.
“Stopping this starts at home.Education and open conversation need to be reinforced every day if we ever stand a chance of stamping this out.”
Sterling volatility expected around the budget; German economy stagnating – business live
Good morning, and welcome to our rolling coverage of business, the financial markets and the world economy.The pound is in the spotlight as investors brace for tomorrow’s budget, fearful of a negative market reaction to Rachel Reeves’s plans.The pound has weakened over the last few months, down from $1.36 in mid-September to $1.31 today, having hit a seven-month around $1
Australia is bringing in ‘world first’ minimum pay for food delivery drivers – here’s how it will work
Food delivery companies in Australia have teamed up with the Transport Workers’ Union to set new minimum standards for delivery drivers, including a minimum hourly wage and accident insurance for injuries sustained on the job.In a deal described as a “world first”, the country’s two largest food delivery services, DoorDash and Uber Eats, have submitted a joint application with the Transport Workers’ Union to the Fair Work Commission.The deal still requires approval from the industrial umpire, but here’s what we know so far.The application to the FWC comes after a wide range of workplace reforms was introduced by the Albanese government, which included empowering the industrial umpire to set minimum standards for gig workers.DoorDash, Uber Eats and the TWU have agreed on new protections for delivery drivers after years of talks
Macquarie Dictionary announces ‘AI slop’ as its word of the year, beating out Ozempic face
AI slop is here, it’s ubiquitous, it’s being used by the US president, Donald Trump, and now, it’s the word of the year.The Macquarie Dictionary dubbed the term the epitome of 2025 linguistics, with a committee of word experts saying the outcome embodies the word of the year’s general theme of reflecting “a major aspect of society or societal change throughout the year”.“We understand now in 2025 what we mean by slop – AI generated slop, which lacks meaningful content or use,” the committee said in a statement announcing its decision.“While in recent years we’ve learnt to become search engineers to find meaningful information, we now need to become prompt engineers in order to wade through the AI slop. Slop in this sense will be a robust addition to English for years to come
AI could replace 3m low-skilled jobs in the UK by 2035, research finds
Up to 3m low-skilled jobs could disappear in the UK by 2035 because of automation and AI, according to a report by a leading educational research charity.The jobs most at risk are those in occupations such as trades, machine operations and administrative roles, the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) said.Highly skilled professionals, on the other hand, were forecast to be more in demand as AI and technological advances increase workloads “at least in the short to medium term”. Overall, the report expects the UK economy to add 2.3m jobs by 2035, but unevenly distributed
Australia rolls out red carpet to England fans with newfound time on their hands
Regional centres are rolling out the red carpet to travelling England cricket supporters with newfound time on their hands, and last-minute side trips are becoming the norm for the Barmy Army as Bazball changes what it means to tour Australia.The two-day Perth Test was unusually brief, leaving Cricket Australia with a $4m shortfall and broadcasters bereft of live content to fill their schedules.England’s commitment to attacking cricket – the side has drawn just twice in three years under head coach Brendon McCullum and never outside of Manchester – also has wider consequences.English fans in Perth may have suffered through the defeat in the stands, but the result opened up their diaries for non-cricketing activities.Some visited Rottnest Island to see the quokkas, others went to wineries in Margaret River, while dozens gathered in Fremantle on Monday to enjoy a warm if typically windy spring afternoon in Perth
Travis Head’s devastating knock gives Australia’s selectors a dilemma
Accidents do not come much happier. Usman Khawaja’s mid-game back problem was annoying for the player and potentially damaging for his team, until it wasn’t. Clearing out the regular dry-powder opener created space in the final stanza of the Perth Test, allowing Travis Head to finish off England with the gory certainty and splatter count of a Mortal Kombat fatality move. Sometimes you mash the buttons and it all just works.Consider an Ashes innings of 123 from 83 balls, on a bouncy pitch where two other players nudged 50, in an effort that did not just win the match, but has sent the opposition into a demoralising tailspin
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