In this first episode of Digital Kallipolis podcast, we meet Maida Maya Salkanović, a journalist, anti-misinformation and anti-deepfake upstander, and human rights activist. In 2020, Maya and I discussed the future of labor and digitalization at a futuristic conference, more than two years before the generative AI boom that began in November 2022. Now, in 2026, we return to that conversation to explore the challenges AI brings to journalism and human rights, how it can fuel gender-based violence, and what we can do to make this digital era safer for all of us. Here is Maya’s visit to Digital Kallipolis:
More on Digital Gender-Based Violence:
Technology-Facilitated Violence Against Women and Girls (TF-VAWG), especially through AI advances, as generative AI have made it widely accessible to create non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII), including nudification and intimate deepfakes. What happens is that a user with malignant intent uses a real person’s face and/or body (or body parts) without that person’s consent, and, as reported by the United Nations, this phenomenon targets predominantly women and girls [2]. Europol predicts that about 8 million deepfakes were shared in 2025, up from half a million in 2023, with the majority of them being pornographic [7]. And most of these data points come from before Grok allowed for an even easier, more widespread spread of such images across the digital sphere [3].
There are also legislative responses such as the U.S. Take It Down Act, signed into law on May 19, 2025, which requires certain “covered platforms” to implement a notice-and-removal process and remove nonconsensual intimate visual depictions within 48 hours of receiving notice [10]. However, even legislators themselves are not immune from this form of violence; as reported, 1 in 6 US congresswomen have appeared in non-consensual deepfake intimate content [2].
This story comes with timeless relevance until the problem at stake is solved. As asserted by UN Women, AI does not only create new harms but also augments TF-VAWG and makes it more accessible to perpetrators. After the initial outrage from the general public over Grok [3], policymakers have begun to speak up, including the European Union and British lawmakers, and the European Commission, which is investigating Grok under the Digital Services Act provisions [1, 4, 5].
You can also listen to our conversation here:
Works Cited:
[1] Bharadia, P. (2026, February 7). Victims urge tougher action on deepfake abuse as new law comes into force. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/feb/07/campaigners-call-stronger-protection-against-ai-generated-explicit-imagery
[2] Cerise, S., Lentz, S., Bates, L., Mingeirou, K., & Osman, Y. (2025). How AI is exacerbating technology-facilitated violence against women and girls. UN Women – Headquarters. https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2025/12/how-ai-is-exacerbating-technology-facilitated-violence-against-women-and-girls
[3] Corbet, S. (2026, February 3). X offices raided in France as prosecutors investigate child abuse images and deepfakes. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/france-x-investigation-seach-elon-musk-1116be84d84201011219086ecfd4e0bc
[4] EU split widens over ban on AI nudification apps | Digital Watch Observatory. (2026, February 6). https://dig.watch/updates/eu-split-widens-over-ban-on-ai-nudification-apps
[5] Euractiv. (2026, February 5). Parliament AI leads split on banning pornification apps. Euractiv. https://www.euractiv.com/news/parliament-ai-leads-split-on-banning-pornification-apps/
[6] Eva Galperin. (2011, October 7). Electronic Frontier Foundation. https://www.eff.org/about/staff/eva-galperin
[7] Negreiro, M. (2025). Children and deepfakes. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2025/775855/EPRS_BRI%282025%29775855_EN.pdf
[8] Somali Cerise. (n.d.). Australian Public Law. Retrieved February 9, 2026, from https://www.auspublaw.org/somali-cerise
[9] SpaceX. (2026, February 2). SpaceX. http://www.spacex.com
[10] Take It Down Act, Pub. L. No. 119-__ (May 19, 2025). Congress.gov. https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/146
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