Vicky Pattison 'releases own sex tape on social media' for documentary

Reality star Vicky Pattison has shocked social media by bravely making a fake sex video with AI in order to investigate deepfake porn.

In the video, which the 37-year-old produced and directed, Vicky's face was digitally added to the body of an actress. This bold move was done as part of a Channel 4 documentary which wants to investigate the rapid increase of deepfake porn and the resulting impact it has on women and young girls.

Vicky admitted that she “wrestled with the decision” on whether to make the video in which she "supposedly" appears, as it is something that "may live online forever", reports the Mirror.

Deepfakes are the latest way that women can suffer sexual abuse online, as many have been left traumatised by seeing videos of themselves digitally made to look as though they are part of pornography, despite never participating.

Vicky, who married clothing brand manager Ercan Ramadan last summer, said she made the video to "fully immerse herself in this world, and properly understand the depth of shock and violation victims of image-based abuse feel.

"I am hugely passionate about women’s issues, and have found myself increasingly disturbed by how prevalent the problem of deepfake porn is becoming."

She added: "This is just the latest trend in the abuse of women and having met some of the inspirational women who have put their lives back together after being victims of sexually explicit deepfake abuse, I feel more strongly than ever that we need to stand with them and continue to put pressure on the greater powers within the government to catch up with the speed at which this technology is advancing."

The Geordie Shore star continued: "As part of the documentary, I have made the challenging decision to release my own deepfake sex tape online, which I directed and produced with actors to ensure the process was fully consensual from start to finish.

"I wrestled with this decision for a long time, mulling over the permanence of it, and ultimately coming to accept the fact that this content may live online forever. Whilst I know this doesn’t compare to the distress and horror actual victims feel when they discover this content of themselves, I hope it will give some insight into what they go through."

Her goal is to highlight the issue and hopes it will bring in enough attention that those in power and from tech companies will start making impactful changes. She said: "My goal is to foster empathy and drive action and to contribute to a larger movement for justice and change, so victims feel supported, understood, and empowered to reclaim their voices and control."

The video has now been released on social media so Vicky can gain a further understanding of how this type of content spreads online and how to get it taken down. The government has recently announced its plans to criminalise the creation of sexually explicit deepfakes, as nearly 4000 celebrities alone have become victims of this heinous crime.

For the documentary, Vicky will be speaking to Northern Irish politician Cara Hunter and C4 News presenter Cathy Newman, along with many women who have been affected by these crimes who are not in the public eye.

Channel 4 specialist factual boss Shaminder Nahal said she hopes the "bold and insightful" film will offer insight and spark debate. She added: "Depressingly, almost every day, we hear about women being abused in different ways, and it’s a priority for me as a commissioner to try to expose and address issues around women and violence, and to explore what can be done."

She also says that everyone involved was "hugely grateful" to Vicky for how she immersed herself in the image-based abuse project "in the most provocative and visceral way possible". She added: "I hope that this bold and thoughtful film will move the discussion about deepfake pornography forward at a time when technology is moving so fast, we don’t even know where it will take us."

Film-maker Phil Mount describes the documentary as "brave and harrowing", as it explores the darker side of technological advancement. He explained: "Artificial intelligence is evolving at an unprecedented pace, bringing both groundbreaking opportunities and, at times, deeply troubling consequences.

"Vicky Pattison and the courageous participants who have lent their voices to this project have been instrumental in shining a light on an increasingly topical subject."

The documentary, titled 'Vicky Pattison: My Deepfake Sex Tape', will air on Channel 4 at 10pm on Tuesday, January 28.

Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond. Sign up to our daily newsletter .

Story Saved

You can find this story in  My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.