‘A Wound That Never Heals’: AI Porn Victims Speak Out in Hong Kong

HONG KONG, Aug 13 — For Hong Kong law student “C”, AI-generated pornography felt like a distant threat — until a classmate at her university created explicit images of her and several other women.

“At first I was shocked, then it turned into panic,” said the 20-year-old, describing the experience as “a wound that will leave a scar.”

C was one of three women who exposed an AI porn scandal at Hong Kong’s oldest university last month, sparking intense debate over an issue previously viewed as largely happening overseas.

The victims — who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity — and experts said the city is ill-equipped to address the rapidly growing threat.

In the University of Hong Kong (HKU) case, hundreds of images depicting at least 20 women were found on the perpetrator’s laptop.

“B”, another victim, said she felt deeply betrayed, as she had once considered the student a friend.

“I felt like my privacy was violated... like I couldn’t trust the people around me,” she said.

Initially, HKU’s response was to issue the student a warning letter and make him apologise.

The third victim, “A”, said she was told the matter could not be brought before a disciplinary committee.

“They were concerned but didn’t know what they could do... We found that a bit ridiculous,” she said.

HKU told AFP it had been in contact with the students involved but could not comment further while the case was under active review.

‘Damage may never end’

While the HKU case pushed AI porn into the public spotlight, it is not the city’s first.

Janice, a woman in her late 20s who also used a pseudonym, told AFP she was devastated when fake obscene images of her were circulated to friends a few years ago.

She never identified the culprit and feared the damage could “never end”.

“I skipped work and didn’t dare to go outside,” she said, adding she had suicidal thoughts and would burst into tears unexpectedly.

“I couldn’t sleep because I was afraid I’d wake up to find the whole internet filled with (pornographic) images of me.”

The Association Concerning Sexual Violence Against Women in Hong Kong received 11 similar requests for help in 2024-25, said executive director Doris Chong.

“We have seen an uptick... Some cases may be hidden if victims don’t know how to seek help,” she noted.

Janice said she doubted she had enough evidence to get police assistance and felt society may “never find a way” to punish such offenders.

A form of ‘sexual violence’

Around 90 per cent of AI porn victims are women, said Susanne Choi of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, calling it “a form of gender-based sexual violence.”

Police said they do not keep statistics on deepfake pornography cases.

Choi urged lawmakers and universities to “expand and revise existing laws and procedures to better cope with technology-facilitated sexual harassment.”

While some jurisdictions, such as Britain and Singapore, are moving to criminalise the creation of AI porn, Hong Kong only prohibits the distribution of “intimate images”, including AI-generated ones — not their creation or possession.

This legal gap complicated action in the HKU case, as there was no evidence the images had been shared.

After the women went public, Hong Kong’s privacy watchdog launched a criminal investigation, and the Equal Opportunities Commission began handling a related complaint.

Dignity ‘undermined’

The three HKU students also faced public backlash.

Once an active social media user, C stopped posting temporarily, fearing more of her photos might be misused.

“Many commenters said, ‘You’re ruining the guy’s future, you should apologise to him’,” she recalled, adding that the criticism led to moments of self-doubt.

The student accused in the case has not been named, and AFP could not reach him for comment.

B said the women were not trying to “play judge” but believed offenders should face lasting consequences.

“The mere creation (of AI porn) is a problem... My bodily autonomy, my privacy, my dignity were undermined by it,” she said.

“If a line must be drawn, it should be drawn at creation.” — AFP