Brazil: A warning on how AI and deepfakes can become an ’excessive risk‘ to women and girls

April 28, 2026

Brazil is experiencing a surge in AI-generated sexual violence targeting women and girls, with multiple incidents of students creating non-consensual deepfake pornography of classmates and teachers reported across several states. Research organization Internetlab has released recommendations calling for stricter AI regulations, noting that 98% of deepfake videos online are sexually explicit and 99% target women, with a 464% increase between 2022 and 2023. This digital violence coincides with rising offline gender violence in Brazil, including record femicide rates that increased 4.

Who is affected

Women and girls in Brazil (disproportionately targeted by sexual deepfakes - 99% of victims)
Students at schools in Rio de Janeiro, Bahia, and Mato Grosso states
Female teachers featured in AI-generated pornographic images
Women voters facing AI-generated violent content during election season
Teenagers creating and sharing the AI-generated content (facing expulsion and police reports)
Brazilian society broadly experiencing increased femicide rates (1,568 cases in 2025)

What action is being taken

Parents are reporting cases to police
Internetlab is publishing technical recommendations for combating online violence
The Federal Supreme Court is implementing a new regime regarding platform responsibility for content moderation
Schools are expelling students involved in creating and sharing AI-generated pornographic content
Researchers are conducting studies on deepfake prevalence and gender violence connections

Why it matters

This situation represents a critical intersection of technology-enabled violence and structural misogyny that threatens women's safety, dignity, and democratic participation. The dramatic increase in AI-generated sexual content targeting women (464% between 2022-2023) combined with record-high femicide rates demonstrates how online and offline violence reinforce each other within a broader misogynistic framework. The accessibility of AI tools integrated into social media platforms like X's Grok has made it easier to create and distribute non-consensual sexual content at scale, potentially normalizing violence against women and contributing to radicalization. With Brazil's election season approaching and AI becoming a primary information access tool, biased algorithms could amplify gender-based political violence and undermine democratic processes, making effective regulation and prevention strategies urgent necessities.

What's next

Implementation and operationalization of the Federal Supreme Court's ruling on platform responsibility
Development of legal definitions and concepts of misogyny to enforce the Supreme Court decision
Establishment of curriculum guidelines for digital literacy education about algorithms and AI
Potential adoption of safety-by-design measures by platforms
Consideration of proposed bills to criminalize misogynistic behavior and red pill movements
Establishment of rules regarding accountability and obligations for digital platforms and AI agents
Monitoring of AI's impact on gender political violence during the upcoming election season

Read full article from source: Global Voices