Daily Bruin: Survivors of AI-generated sexual abuse need more resources
Survivors + Allies member Margaret Garcia’s op-ed was recently featured in The Daily Bruin and highlights the growing issue of AI-generated sexual abuse, such as deepfake pornography, and the lack of adequate resources and policies at University of California (UC) campuses to support victims. Garcia, a recent graduate of UC Merced with a B.A in psychology and minor in political science., criticizes the UC system for not updating their Title IX policies to address this type of image-based abuse or providing mental health and legal resources for victims.
“AI-generated sexual abuse can have profound and long-lasting impacts on a student’s mental health, academic success and emotional well-being,” writes Garcia, “Thus, we urge the UCs to do more to support victims of image abuse as easy accessibility to this technology can put students at risk.”
She references real cases, including a UC Berkeley graduate who found over 800 deepfake videos using her likeness online, to emphasize the emotional and psychological toll on victims. Garcia calls for the UC system to update their definitions of sexual violence to include AI-generated content, improve training for students and staff, and make mental health resources available for those affected by this abuse.
