Where Is the Line? Perceptions of Victim Blame, Criminality, Harm, Morality and the use of Deepfake Nudifying Technology

Artificial intelligence (AI) has profoundly shaped our daily lives, including how sexuality is explored and sexual harms are enacted. This study investigated attitudes toward the use of deepfake “nudifying” applications for personal sexual use. Specifically, we explored the “pervert’s dilemma” by assessing whether masturbating to AI-generated de-clothed images is seen as meaningfully different from imagining a person nude and whether judgments vary based on target presentation. Eight hundred seventy participants completed measures of sexual consent and sex positivity before evaluating one of three vignettes depicting a man masturbating to a photo of a woman in a dress (control), an AI-generated de-clothed image of a woman originally wearing a dress, or an AI-generated de-clothed image of a woman originally wearing a bikini. Results indicated that AI-mediated de-clothing was viewed more negatively than imagination-based practices, regardless of target attire. Judgments were largely related to consent-oriented values, contrasting philosophical power-based notions of harm.