Deepfake Porn Videos Jumped 1500% In 2 Years: Study

In a disturbing trend, AI-generated deepfake porn videos are literally exploding online. A peer-reviewed study showed these non-consensual intimate videos online jumped from 5 lakh in 2023 to a staggering 80 lakh in 2025. That's a mind-boggling 1500% or 16x jump in just two years.

The study 'The Backbone of Abuse' led by researchers  Sarah Morgan from Lancaster University with co-authors Dr Sophie Nightingale, also from Lancaster, and Professor Hany Farid of Dartmouth College was published on Wednesday.

"Anyone with a single photo online can be quickly and easily targeted in content that falsely depicts them in sexual or intimate contexts, of any nature, without their consent. Emerging evidence demonstrates the wide-ranging and persistent harms of this digital abuse," Morgan said.

The researchers found that nearly all of the pornographic content targeted women and girls, including Hollywood and Bollywood stars, K-pop artists, well-known feminists and activists.

The researchers identified 88 websites hosting this kind of AI-generated sexual abuse and 93% of those sites could be found through a normal Google search.

The study also found that five major internet infrastructure companies were providing services to these websites, with Cloudflare hosting more than half of them.

The researchers say that AI creators aren't the only villains here, the platforms and infrastructure making this content accessible also need to face the heat.

"Can we cut the distribution supply? This abuse needs to be prevented-putting pressure on the technology platforms that distribute such content to the public may be our most optimal chance of reducing the wildfire spread of AI-generated sexual abuse," Morgan noted.

Dr Nightingale highlighted the burning issue of victim-shaming in the background of this disturbing trend.

"All too often the victims of abuse that is sexual in nature are attributed responsibility-there is an urgent need to change this. Blame should be assigned to the perpetrators who create, distribute, and facilitate the sharing of fake content that has potential to ruin lives," she said.