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Italian PM Giorgia Meloni slams viral fake photo, jokes ‘improved me quite a bit’
Italian PM Giorgia Meloni denounced the deepfake photo as a political attack.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni slammed the circulation of a deepfake photo showing her in lingerie. She denounced it as a “political attack”, highlighting the dangers of such pictures generated using artificial intelligence (AI).
What did the PM post?
Her tweet, when translated, reads, “In these days, several fake photos of me are circulating, generated with artificial intelligence and passed off as genuine by some diligent opponent.”
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She joked, “I must admit that whoever created them, at least in the attached case, has also improved me quite a bit,” adding, “But the fact remains that, just to attack and invent falsehoods, nowadays anything at all is used.”
In the following lines, the PM tweeted, “The point, however, goes beyond me. Deepfakes are a dangerous tool, because they can deceive, manipulate, and strike anyone. I can defend myself. Many others cannot.”
She further explained what to do if one comes across such fake pictures. “For this reason, one rule should always apply: verify before believing, and believe before sharing. Because today it happens to me, tomorrow it can happen to anyone.”
She shared the fake picture circulating. It shows her in lingerie posing in a bed.
How did social media react?
An individual wrote, “No one believes any images they see online anymore. Nobody should be scared of fake images because they’re all over the place. It’s kind of like currency. When the Federal Reserve keeps printing money out of thin air, the currency becomes worthless. The exact same thing with AI images online. Nobody values them at all. It’s just a laugh at this point.”
Another social media user added, “Why is the author protected? Neither the photo nor the name can be seen. But he seems proud of his work. So why protect him?” A third commented, “I agree that they've improved somewhat. But fake news is unacceptable in any form.”
A third expressed, “I agree! AI is not only dangerous, but it can also be used to scam people. For those without a large platform to defend themselves, AI can be dangerous. I genuinely believe AI is the worst thing ever invented. It will take everyone’s jobs while the greedy billionaires convince people that AI will improve their lives. They will get richer while everyone else loses their jobs. I mean, Coinbase cut 14% of their staff today because of AI.” The individual referred to an email from Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, in which he announced that the company was laying off a part of its global workforce.
