The misuse of the AI chatbot Grok to generate sexually explicit deepfake images has sparked alarm among women’s rights advocates, who warn that Philippine laws remain inadequate in addressing technology-facilitated violence.
Assistant Minority Leader and Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Sarah Elago said the controversy highlights “dangerous gaps” in existing legal protections.
“While the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is now considering regulatory measures and possible blocking of Grok, piecemeal responses are not enough to address the growing threat of artificial intelligence being weaponized against women, LGBTQ+, and even children,” Elago said.
Gabriela Women’s Party stressed that current laws do not sufficiently recognize AI-enabled sexual abuse, exploitation, and non-consensual deepfake manipulation as forms of gender-based violence.
To address these gaps, the group has filed House Bill 4779 , which seeks to expand and strengthen the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children (VAWC) Law to explicitly cover online and technology-facilitated abuse.
“Gabriela Women’s Party’s House Bill 4779 recognizes that violence against women has evolved. Abuse now happens not only in homes and public places, but also in digital spaces powered by algorithms and AI tools that profit from women’s objectification,” Elago said.
“Panahon na para humabol ang ating mga batas sa mabilis na pag-unlad ng teknolohiya, lalo’t kasabay rin nito ang pag-usbong ng mga panibagong porma ng harassment at pang-aabuso.”
Elago noted that other countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia have moved decisively to block abusive AI tools, urging the Philippine government to act with the same urgency.
“Assurances from big tech companies are not enough,” she said. “Habang tumatagal na walang konkretong aksyon ang gobyerno, mas dumarami pa ang biktima ng pang-aabuso. Kailangan i-certify ng urgent ang pagpapasa sa bills na lumalaban sa technology-facilitated VAW at magpapalakas sa Anti-Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children and Anti-Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Materials (Anti-OSAEC/Anti-CSAEM) law. Hindi lang rin ito usapin ng pag-update ng mga batas, kundi pagpapatuloy ng efforts para labanan at wakasan ang kultura ng abuso at pagsasamantala sa kababaihan at bata.” (ZIA LUNA)
