On 9 July 2026, European Commissioner for Equality Hadja Lahbib addressed the OECD Gender Equality Forum, warning that AI-generated explicit images are destroying lives and urging stronger action to protect women and girls online. She described a scenario in which a 15-year-old girl's photo is manipulated by AI and circulated without consent, calling it a reality for countless women across Europe. Lahbib cited EU statistics showing one in five women has experienced online violence, rising to one in four among young women.
Lahbib outlined the EU's response, pointing to the recently adopted Gender Equality Strategy for the next five years, which prioritises digital transformation. She highlighted the Directive on Violence against Women, which tackles cyber violence, and the enforcement of the Digital Services Act to hold platforms accountable. On AI, she noted that the AI Act bans manipulative and deceptive AI and requires platforms to remove illegal content, while also aiming to root out gender bias in algorithms. She announced that last month the EU banned nudification apps — AI systems that generate intimate images of a real person without consent — with providers given until December to comply.
Lahbib also stressed the need for women to participate in building technology, announcing an Action Plan on Women in Research, Innovation and Startups to increase women's presence in STEM and tech leadership. The EU's Girls Go STEM initiative aims to get one million girls into STEM careers by 2028. She called for deeper partnership with the OECD to turn evidence into policy, and emphasised that the EU's market size allows its rules to help set global standards. The speech contained concrete proposals — including the nudification app ban, the action plan, and numerical targets — and shifted the EU's stance towards a more assertive regulatory approach on AI-generated abuse. Stakeholder impact: women and girls benefit from stronger protections and inclusion efforts; tech companies face new compliance costs for banned AI systems; EU regulatory bodies gain enforcement responsibilities; and civil society organisations working on gender equality see their advocacy reinforced by concrete policy measures.