The Dark Side of AI: Paris Hilton and the Fight for Digital Dignity.

Carleigh Solomon

Paris Hilton has spent much of her public life navigating a double-edged sword: visibility brings opportunity, but it also invites exploitation. In recent months, Hilton has stepped into a new role as a digital rights advocate, urging lawmakers to confront one of the most disturbing byproducts of artificial intelligence (“AI”): non-consensual AI-generated deepfake pornography.[1] Her testimony and lobbying efforts highlight a growing realization that deepfakes are not just a problem that impacts celebrities, but a real threat to privacy, autonomy, and human dignity as AI continues to develop.[2] By framing deepfake pornography as a violation of consent rather than a technological curiosity, Hilton has helped reorient public debate around the human cost of synthetic media abuse.[3]

Deepfake technology uses AI to manipulate audio or video, creating realistic but false depictions of individuals saying or doing things they never did.[4] Advances in machine learning and other technical tools have made deepfakes increasingly easy to create, fueling concerns about misuse.[5] This misuse is especially concerning in the context of sexually explicit content, where consent is entirely absent.[6] The scale of non-consensual sexually explicit deepfakes is staggering and overwhelmingly gendered.[7] A 2023 report found that approximately 98% of deepfakes online were pornographic, and 99% of those depicted women.[8] Entertainment and media figures accounted for roughly 94% of the individuals targeted, highlighting the vulnerability of public-facing identities.[9] With nearly 100,000 deepfake videos reported in 2023, the abuse has reached an industrial scale.[10]

Hilton’s activism is rooted in personal experience with non-consensual sexual content and the long-term reputational and psychological harm it causes. She has argued that deepfake pornography “sells pain for clicks,” benefitting platforms and anonymous creators while leaving victims powerless.[11] Her testimony emphasizes that the fabricated nature of the content does not lessen the harm, but instead increases it by making abuse easier to deny and harder to remedy.[12] The ethical core of deepfake pornography lies in its complete erasure of consent and autonomy.[13] Scholars describe non-consensual sexual deepfakes as a form of image-based sexual abuse that reduces victims to objects for exploitation.[14] Victims suffer from shame, anger, and self-blame, which can lead to ongoing emotional distress, social withdrawal, disrupted relationships, bullying, and reputational harm.[15] In severe cases, the psychological effects intensify over time and can contribute to suicidal thoughts.[16]

Recent federal attention underscores the growing consensus that existing law is ill-equipped to address the harms posed by deepfakes.[17]

 Historically, many states relied on general criminal impersonation laws to address deceptive representations.[18] While these laws could technically apply to online videos and communications, the rise of social media has led at least seventeen states to enact specific statutes targeting online impersonation with the intent to intimidate, bully, threaten, or harass.[19] Beginning in 2019, states increasingly adopted legislation aimed at regulating the creation and distribution of deepfakes and other manipulated media.[20] These laws generally focus on content created with malice and without consent, rather than on AI-generated deepfakes exclusively.[21] As of 2024, at least 40 states have pending legislation and more than 50 bills have been enacted, in an effort to deal with manipulated media.[22]

Despite this growing body of state law, concerns about fragmentation and uneven protection have fueled calls for federal intervention. In August 2024, the U.S. Copyright Office concluded that new federal legislation is “urgently needed” to respond to AI-generated digital replicas.[23] Drawing on public comments from artists, attorneys, and advocacy organizations, the Office found that current federal law is “too narrowly drawn” to address the scope of the harm caused by deepfakes, while state-level privacy and publicity regimes remain fragmented and inconsistent.[24] In light of this, the Copyright Office identified two pending federal proposals as leading legislative efforts to establish nationwide protections against unauthorized digital replicas: The No AI Fraud Act and the NO FAKES Act.[25] The No AI FRAUD Act would impose liability on individuals who unlawfully distribute digital images or voice replicas of a rights holder, as well as those who materially assist in such violations.[26] The NO FAKES Act similarly targets impermissible digital replicas and proposes a notice-and-takedown framework to address unauthorized uses of a person’s voice or likeness.[27] Together, these proposals reflect a broader shift toward recognizing voice and likeness as protectable interests under federal law, while attempting to balance liability, platform immunity, and enforcement mechanisms in an evolving AI landscape.

Congress took a significant step in this direction in April 2025 with the passage of the TAKE IT DOWN Act, the first federal legislation specifically targeting non-consensual intimate images.[28] This enactment marks a pivotal moment in national recognition of image-based abuse and represents an effort to move beyond inconsistent state responses by establishing baseline protections across jurisdictions.[29] Nevertheless, significant challenges remain, particularly with respect to interstate enforcement, anonymous content creators, and the role of online platforms that host or amplify deepfake content. Paris Hilton’s advocacy challenges this erosion by emphasizing the human dignity underlying every deepfake. As AI continues to evolve, the question is no longer whether deepfakes cause harm, but whether the legal system is prepared to recognize that harm as real and respond in meaningful ways.  

[1] Paris Hilton Fights AI Deepfake Porn, ABC NEWS (Jan. 23, 2026), https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/video/paris-hilton-fights-ai-deepfake-porn-129483858.

[2] Id.

[3] Id.

[4] Practical Law, Recent Developments in the Regulation of Deepfakes (US), Practical Law (2024).

[5] Id.

[6] Thomas D. Selz et al., Entertainment Law 3d: Legal Concepts and Business Practices § 24:32 (2025).

[7] Id.

[8] Home Security Heroes, 2023 State of Deepfakes: Realities, Threats and Impact, https://www.homesecurityheroes.com/state-of-deepfakes/.

[9] Id.

[10] Id.

[11] They Sold My Pain for Clicks: Paris Hilton Urges Lawmakers to Act on Nonconsensual Deepfakes, WMNF (Jan. 26, 2026), https://www.wmnf.org/sold-my-pain-clicks-paris-hilton-urges-lawmakers-nonconsensual-deepfakes-defiance-act/.

[12] Id.

[13] The Impact of Deepfakes, Synthetic Pornography, & Virtual Child Sexual Abuse Material, Am. Acad. Pediatrics (Mar. 13, 2025), https://www.aap.org/en/patient-care/media-and-children/center-of-excellence-on-social-media-and-youth-mental-health/qa-portal/qa-portal-library/qa-portal-library-questions/the-impact-of-deepfakes-synthetic-pornography--virtual-child-sexual-abuse-material/

[14] Id.

[15] Id.

[16] Id.

[17] Deceptive Audio or Visual Media (“Deepfakes”) 2024 Legislation, NAT’L CONF. ST. LEGISLATURES (Nov. 22, 2024), https://www.ncsl.org/technology-and-communication/deceptive-audio-or-visual-media-deepfakes-2024-legislation.

[18] Deceptive Audio or Visual Media (“Deepfakes”) 2024 Legislation, NAT’L CONF. ST. LEGISLATURES (Nov. 22, 2024), https://www.ncsl.org/technology-and-communication/deceptive-audio-or-visual-media-deepfakes-2024-legislation.

[19] Id.

[20] Id.

[21] Id.

[22] Id.

[23] Patrick H.J. Hughes, Copyright Office Says New AI Laws Are ‘Urgently Needed’ to Handle Deepfakes, Westlaw Intell. Prop. Daily Briefing, 2024 IPDBRF 0087, Westlaw.

[24] Id.

[25] Id.

[26] Id.

[27] Id.

[28] Tools to Address Known Exploitation by Immobilizing Technological Deepfakes on Websites and Networks Act (“TAKE IT DOWN Act”), Pub. L. No. 119-12, 139 Stat. 55 (2025).

[29]  ENTERTAINMENT LAW 3D § 24:32.