As artificial intelligence technologies reach more of the public, so do its harms. Digitally altered videos and photos, or deepfakes, of celebrities, women business owners and female high school students are being created to intimidate women. 

Michigan lawmakers are looking to discourage the spread of deepfakes by proposing civil and criminal penalties. In a Detroit Free Press article, University of Michigan School of Information PhD student Amna Batool, an expert on online privacy and security for women, discusses the financial and reputational harms women are disproportionately facing. 

“There's a lot of emotional and psychological harms,” she says. “There's definitely reputational harms and definitely economic harms as well. Most of the time, perpetrators are doing it for financial disruption.” 

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Read “Michigan lawmakers want to outlaw the spread of 'deepfake' sexual content” at the Detroit Free Press. 

Learn more about UMSI PhD student Amna Batool by visiting her UMSI profile. 

Check out our PhD in Information program today.