Overview

• On May 14, ACT Party MP Laura McClure held up an AI-generated nude of herself in Parliament to show how easily deepfake images can be produced in under five minutes.
• Parliament is debating the Deepfake Digital Harm and Exploitation Bill, introduced on May 12, which would criminalize the creation or sharing of intimate deepfakes without consent.
• The proposed legislation would amend the Crimes Act 1961 and the Harmful Digital Communications Act 2015 to include digitally altered or synthesized images under the definition of "intimate visual recordings."
• McClure said she was “absolutely terrified” to expose the fabricated image but saw the demonstration as essential to accelerating reform.
• Experts warn that most deepfake pornography is created without consent and predominantly targets women, underscoring the need for clearer removal processes and remedies for victims.