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Pose at Protest

We're fighting
back against
AI-driven
exploitation.

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#Stop
Explicit
Deepfakes

Recapping Our #StopExplicitDeepfakes Campaign

In 2024–2025, the Center for Gender Equitable AI (CGEAI) launched #StopExplicitDeepfakes, a youth-led initiative to confront the rise of AI-generated, nonconsensual explicit imagery. The campaign fought back against a growing digital threat that disproportionately targeted women and girls, challenging both public stigma and the systems that allowed this exploitation to thrive.

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At its core, #StopExplicitDeepfakes was about more than awareness. It was about reclaiming agency, changing narratives, and building the groundwork for stronger protections.

Our Approach

#StopExplicitDeepfakes took a multi-layered approach that combined education, awareness, and advocacy — empowering young people to respond to deepfake exploitation while amplifying survivors’ experiences and policy solutions.

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1. Awareness & Education

We led a months-long digital awareness campaign to destigmatize conversations around explicit deepfakes and promote prevention and support resources.

  • Created 20+ educational graphics explaining what deepfakes are, how they spread, and how to get help.

  • Reached 25,000+ viewers across social media, with reshares from educators and advocates.

  • Hosted workshops and panels with activists and youth organiations helping students recognize and respond to tech-facilitated exploitation.

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2. Youth Advocacy & Mobilization

We empowered high school and college students to take action in their own communities.

  • Developed a comprehensive 20+ page paper on guidance for school policies to address explicit deepfakes.​

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3. Policy Awareness & Systems Change

While the campaign remained youth-centered, it also contributed to real conversations about accountability and safety in AI governance.

  • Met with Congressional offices, including Senator Andy Kim’s, to share youth perspectives on deepfake harms and inform the TAKE IT DOWN Act.

  • Submitted advisory input to the United Nations AI Advisory Body, calling for gender-equitable approaches to AI safety.

  • Partnered with organizations like Design It For Us to co-author awareness content highlighting bipartisan interest in AI accountability.

  • Published an op-ed in the San Francisco Chronicle urging policymakers to treat explicit deepfakes as a civil rights issue.

The Campaign's Impact

Over the course of the campaign, #StopExplicitDeepfakes reached thousands and reshaped how communities think about AI-driven exploitation.

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By the Numbers:

  • 25,000+ total campaign impressions across digital platforms

  • 40+ volunteers involved across 15 states

  • 3+ policy memos and open letters circulated to government and UN bodies

  • 1 nationally published op-ed amplifying survivor-centered solutions

  • 1 podcast episode (CGEAI's Bits & Bytes podcast) featuring four youth advocates fighting deepfake harms

  • 1 comprehensive school policy toolkit published

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By the Outcomes:

  • Brought the issue of explicit deepfakes into the responsible tech mainstream, earning features in major media outlets.

  • Helped shape language used by educators and legislators to frame deepfakes as a gendered safety and dignity issue, not just a tech problem.

  • Fostered youth participation in global AI governance conversations, proving that young voices can help define responsible innovation.

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Some of our content we created as part of the #StopExplicitDeepfakes Campaign:

Reflections & Next Steps

#StopExplicitDeepfakes proved that awareness leads to action, and that meaningful change happens when education and advocacy move together. While the campaign has concluded, its impact continues through our ongoing work on digital safety and representation in AI.

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We are currently engaging in our educational S.T.O.P. Campaign to fill in the knowledge gaps after the passage of the TAKE IT DOWN Act, so that students know exactly what protections they have available to them.

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