A new global report developed by researchers from the Information Integrity Initiative (III) for UN Women, in partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ), has warned that artificial intelligence (AI) is making online violence against women in public life increasingly sophisticated, pervasive, and harmful while posing a growing threat to freedom of expression, democratic participation, and gender equality.
The report, produced under the European Union-funded ACT to End Violence Against Women Programme, presents one of the most comprehensive recent assessments of technology-facilitated violence against women working in public life.
Based on a global survey conducted in 2025 involving women journalists, media workers, human rights defenders, activists, writers, and other public communicators from 119 countries, the publication finds that online abuse is increasingly amplified by AI technologies, including deepfakes, manipulated sexual imagery, and other forms of image-based abuse designed to intimidate, silence, and discredit women.
The report warns that online violence is no longer confined to digital spaces but is increasingly spilling over into offline harm. Among women journalists and media workers surveyed, 42 percent reported experiencing offline attacks, abuse, or harassment linked to online violence, which is more than double the level recorded in a comparable 2020 study.
Researchers also found that nearly one-quarter of respondents reported experiencing anxiety or depression associated with online abuse, while a significant proportion said they had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Many respondents indicated that persistent harassment had led them to withdraw from public engagement or censor themselves on social media and in their professional work.
According to the publication, almost one-quarter of surveyed women said they had experienced AI-assisted online violence, demonstrating the growing role of generative AI technologies in facilitating harassment and abuse. The report highlights deepfakes, non-consensual manipulated intimate images, and synthetic content as emerging threats requiring urgent policy attention.
It found that online violence is increasingly restricting women journalists’ freedom of expression. It identified a sharp increase in self-censorship compared to UNESCO’s 2020 findings. In 2020, 30 percent of 625 surveyed women journalists reported self-censoring in response to online violence. By 2025, the figure had risen to 45 percent, representing a 50 percent increase.
The publication also noted that online violence against women is not merely a personal or virtual problem but a significant human rights issue with profound implications for democratic participation, civic space, and public discourse.
It found that women journalists, activists, and human rights defenders are frequently targeted through coordinated campaigns intended to undermine their credibility, discourage public participation, and silence critical voices.
The publication reported that the proportion of women journalists initiating legal action also rose significantly, from 8 percent in 2020 to 14 percent in 2025, among those surveyed.
However, it highlighted persistent barriers to justice, including the reluctance of the police to investigate online violence cases and widespread victim-blaming responses from authorities.
The report called for stronger legal protections, improved institutional support for survivors, and greater accountability from technology companies whose platforms and AI tools can enable and amplify abusive behaviour.
It also urged governments, regulators, civil society organizations, and digital platforms to develop more effective mechanisms for detecting, preventing, and responding to AI-enabled online violence.
The launch of the publication comes amid growing international concern about the impact of artificial intelligence on information integrity, digital safety, and freedom of expression.
As AI-generated content becomes more realistic and easier to produce, experts warn that women in public life face heightened risks of reputational attacks, psychological harm, and exclusion from civic participation.
By documenting the scale and consequences of technology-facilitated violence, “Tipping Point: Online Violence Impacts, Manifestations and Redress in the AI Age” seeks to inform policymakers, technology companies, media organizations, and civil society actors and encourage coordinated action to ensure that digital technologies strengthen rather than undermine the rights, safety, and participation of women in public life.
