New Zealand MP Laura McClure brought Parliament to attention by holding up an AI-generated nude image of herself to highlight the real and rising threat of deepfake technology. The digitally manipulated image, which McClure said took less than five minutes to produce using freely available tools, was blurred for public broadcast. But the message was anything but censored.
“This image is a naked image of me, but it’s not real,” McClure told the House during the session on May 14.
The image, disturbingly realistic, was not meant for shock value alone. It served as a direct call to action, underlining just how easy it has become to create sexually exploitative content with no consent — and no physical reality.
‘Absolutely Terrifying’: When Fake Feels Real
Even though she knew the image wasn’t real, McClure admitted that confronting her own deepfake in Parliament was deeply unsettling
“It gave me the creeps having to stand in Parliament and hold up the photo of myself, even knowing that it’s not actually me.”
In an interview with Sky News, she reflected on the emotional toll of the act:
“I felt like it needed to be done; it needed to be shown how important this is and how easy it is to do, and also how much it can look like yourself.”
“Absolutely terrifying,” she added.
Sharing the image on Instagram, McClure doubled down on her message:
“Today in Parliament, I showed an AI-generated nude deepfake of myself to show how real – and easy – these are to create. The problem isn’t the tech itself, but how it’s being misused to abuse people. Our laws need to catch up.”
Pushing For Policy Change
At the core of McClure’s disturbing demonstration is a legislative blind spot. While New Zealand law currently criminalises the non-consensual sharing of intimate images, it doesn’t yet fully address the synthetic kind — those made without a camera, but with malicious intent.
“I believe they are just as harmful, if not more, than the real thing because people can put you into all kinds of depraved videos, for example,” she explained.
McClure is now pushing for amendments that would classify deepfake nudes under the same legal framework as real, non-consensual intimate images. Her stance is clear: this isn’t about fearing technology, but about confronting its abuse.
“The problem isn’t the technology, but rather its misuse.”
As lawmakers around the world scramble to catch up with the fast-moving AI frontier, McClure’s powerful protest is a stark reminder: the future is already here — and it’s disturbingly real.
