Closing out Sexual Assault Awareness Month, it’s hard not to think about how technology has been used in recent years to harass women and women workers. Especially as artificial intelligence (AI) booms, it’s clear that this convenient technology tool is proving to be a Pandora’s box.
Generative AI is a kind of technology that can produce original content based on patterns it has learned from existing data. As a tool, AI can help women and girls when designed and deployed correctly and ethically. However, AI is veering into the “hazard rather than a helper” lane when it comes to women and girls. Tools like Elon Musk’s Grok chatbot and the DreamFace app have never been more accessible and they’re being used by bad actors to harass women and girls at alarming rates.
It’s more clear than ever that we are in desperate need of not only regulatory guardrails that protect women and girls from dangerous use of AI, but comprehensive systems for enforcement to prevent this harassment and hold people accountable.
The Center for Countering Digital Hate announced at the start of the year that Grok has produced and publicly shared at least 1.8 million sexualized images of women, most often without their consent or knowledge. Beginning in December 2025, the chatbot was “inundated” with prompts to take real photos of women and girls and remove their clothes, put them in bikinis or lingerie, and pose them in sexual positions. This has rightfully horrified survivors, advocates and the public.
Women are ultimately a vulnerable population, often harassed and rarely considered; this technology enables that harassment online with exponential implications for attacks on our privacy, safety and rights.
Too often the tech community has an approach of breaking things and seeing what happens without understanding the stark real world consequences.
Thanks to this free-for-all, women like Kylie Brewer have been subjected to widespread harassment campaigns. Brewer, an advocate for women and girls, creates content focusing on feminism and history. In the past she has received hate speech and threats but recently was the target of an especially malicious revenge porn campaign.
Kylie made it clear that the damage done by the various sexualized AI images made of her was long lasting, leaving her the “most dejected” she’d ever felt:
“I think that people assume, because the pictures aren’t real, that it’s not as damaging,” Brewer told 404Media. “But if anything, this was worse because it just fills you with such a sense of lack of control and fear that they could do this to anyone. Children, women, literally anyone, someone could take a picture of you at the store, going grocery shopping, and ask AI or whatever to do this.”
The distinct disregard for the safety and protection of women and girls and the lack of AI regulation is staggering. AI may be opening new doors for the world but it’s also opening women up to new forms of mistreatment.
While generative AI is a new and fast-changing technology, the larger culture of misogyny and sexual harassment is nothing new. Harassment and violence against women has been an ever-present part of our culture but the use of technology to carry this out without consequence is yet another way that this violence is normalized. The Trump administration has been an active participant in this normalization as they roll back civil and human rights protections that have offered much needed assistance to women for decades.
In light of the rapid advancement of this technology and the risks it poses to workplaces, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) should be “guiding the public conversation” through forums and listening sessions about these developments, and ensuring that workers and employers understand their rights and responsibilities.
Instead of focusing on real issues like how this technology is impacting women, this administration’s EEOC is putting their limited resources into pushing their hyper-ideological agenda by rooting out “illegal DEI” and providing instructions on how to report to ICE.
Despite the United States’ refusal to act on regulations, other countries facing the same challenge are taking action. As the EEOC is rescinding it’s existing sexual harassment guidelines, the United Kingdom (UK) is being proactive. The UK government is working on legislation that would require tech firms to remove deepfake nudes, or “nudified” images, and “revenge porn” from the internet within 48 hours or technology firms risk being blocked in the UK. Companies could also be fined millions or be blocked altogether if they allow the images to spread or be reposted after victims give them notice.
While we know the Trump administration has shown they have no intention to protect women beyond lip service, we must continue to call on Congress to put necessary checks on the tech companies. AI is a genie that cannot be put back in its bottle, therefore, we have a clear obligation to ensure that these tools are regulated and that those who are using it cannot wield it against others.
Historically, self-regulation and voluntary initiatives have been insufficient for protecting women, especially at work. In our new report, “AI and Emerging Risks for Women Workers”, National Partnership experts detail the threats to women at work. The report also maps a path forward with policy recommendations to protect women workers.
Ultimately, with thoughtful regulation, accountability and a commitment to equity, we have a critical opportunity to shape AI into a tool that empowers women and girls rather than putting them at risk.
