This Is Not Innovation. It’s Digital Violence. And We Won’t Be Silent.

At the Women in Tech Initiative (WITI), we stand at the intersection of technology, advocacy,

and justice. But right now, we are alarmed by what we’re witnessing online: AI is being

weaponized to violate women.

Sexualized, hyper-realistic images of women are being created using AI , without consent,

without accountability, and without protection. Journalists, students, professionals, and everyday

women are waking up to find their faces and bodies used in deep fake pornography. All it takes

is a publicly available photo. That’s it. No warning. No control.

This is not innovation. This is automated abuse.

And as WITI, we say: enough.

We believe in the transformative power of technology but not when it’s used to silence, shame,

and violate. What we’re seeing is not an unfortunate side effect of AI. It’s data-driven

misogyny, embedded in the systems, reinforced by lack of regulation, and worsened by

platforms that fail to act.

Let’s be clear:

This is not content.

This is not freedom of expression.

This is digital violence.

When women’s bodies are turned into products for clicks, entertainment, and profit without

their knowledge or consent — it’s not just wrong. It’s a violation of human rights. And when

platforms remain silent, they are not being neutral. They are being complicit.

As WITI, we stand with survivors and demand urgent change:

● Ban all AI-generated sexual content involving real people without their consent.

● Use AI to detect and remove that content quickly — not to profit from it.

● Flag, ban, and hold accountable those who weaponize this technology to harm

others.

● Stop waiting for harm. Moderate proactively.

We cannot afford to let women be the collateral damage of unchecked tech development.

We cannot continue to build systems that reward exploitation while ignoring trauma.

We cannot normalize digital abuse as a side effect of progress.

At WITI, we work daily to ensure women thrive in tech and in society. We support women and

girls to gain access to education, opportunities, and safety. But none of that matters if the digital

spaces we inhabit are dangerous by design.

We are calling on tech companies, governments, developers, and users:

Choose justice. Choose accountability. Choose safety.

To every woman whose image has been taken, manipulated, or shared without her consent —

we see you. We stand with you.

And we will not stop speaking out.

Because this is not the future we are building.

This is the line we are drawing.

– By Bambo Awe for Women in Tech Initiative (WITI)