Virtual Violence Against Women Grows

Artificial Intelligence Opens New Frontiers in Violence Against Women, Experts Warn

By Sharnellia Bennett-Smith

New York, NY — Artificial intelligence technologies are enabling disturbing new forms of violence against women, according to researchers and human rights advocates monitoring emerging digital threats. As tech companies race to develop hyper-realistic virtual companions and AI-driven platforms, experts are raising alarm about the misogynistic underpinnings shaping many of these systems.

Platforms that simulate abusive scenarios, AI-generated pornography, and sex robots programmed for non-consensual interactions are just some of the products now accessible to global consumers. Developers are increasingly building systems that cater to male users’ fantasies—often involving domination, submission, and dehumanization of female-presenting entities.

Unlike traditional forms of abuse, these new technologies exist in legal grey zones. International law currently lacks the regulatory infrastructure to address harms committed in virtual environments, particularly those involving artificially generated avatars that resemble women. Advocates warn that these technologies reinforce dangerous narratives about consent and female agency, especially in a world already grappling with high rates of violence against women.

A growing number of feminist technologists and digital rights organizations are urging governments to establish global standards before these systems become further embedded in mainstream use. They argue that failing to intervene now may result in structural misogyny being coded into the future of artificial intelligence—normalizing digital violence that mimics, and potentially inspires, real-world abuse.

This concern is compounded by the lack of transparency from companies building these products. Many AI systems are trained on datasets sourced from internet content, including pornography, violent media, and biased representations of women. Without scrutiny of how AI is learning and replicating gender dynamics, advocates fear that technology may accelerate the erosion of women’s rights in both digital and physical spaces.

While some countries have introduced domestic legislation targeting deepfakes and online harassment, global coordination remains limited. In the meantime, women’s safety advocates continue to monitor how AI systems are being weaponized against female bodies in a digital arms race with few ethical safeguards.