The AI Video Violence Surge Against Women: From Sports Fields to Indonesia's Digital Realm

A video manipulation incident involving ESPN field reporter Holly Rowe has sparked a global discourse on the proliferation of AI-generated content depicting physical violence against women. The fake video, showing Rowe being slapped by Texas Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian, was more than just an edited prank—it served as a gateway to a much broader and more alarming phenomenon: thousands of similar clips freely circulating across various social media platforms, ranging from the absurd to the hyper-realistic and disturbing.

Rowe's case originated from a real interaction after a game between Texas and Ohio State. Sarkisian, unwilling to answer questions, abruptly left the interview, causing Rowe's disappointment. The original footage was then modified by an anonymous user to depict a scene of violence that never occurred. The controversy escalated when star Texas quarterback, Arch Manning, reacted to the clip with laughter during a press conference, although he later apologized, and Rowe accepted the apology on September 15.

However, for digital security observers, this incident is merely a surface symptom. Adam Dodge, founder of EndTAB, an organization focused on ending technology abuse, asserts that image-based violence—both explicit and non-explicit—constitutes a major category of online violence against women. "The motives remain the same: to intimidate, objectify, harass, and assert power over the victim," he stated.

While non-sexual violent content may not be as prevalent as deepfake pornography, its traces are easily found. Last year, the tech site 404 Media discovered a YouTube channel featuring realistic videos of women being shot. That channel has since been removed, but dozens of similar videos are still circulating. On TikTok, accounts specifically uploading clips of women being choked—including the character Supergirl—have garnered hundreds of thousands of views. There's also a Facebook account with 264,000 followers, ironically named "Dignity Preserved," which regularly posts videos of women being abused with sensational titles.

"What starts online doesn't stay online. Digital violence spills over into real life," asserted Sima Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women.

Alexis Champion from the National Network to End Domestic Violence highlights that this type of content normalizes violence and reinforces cultural norms that justify oppression. She also points out a unique challenge: non-explicit violent content often does not violate platform community guidelines, making it difficult to remove. "It's hard for the average person to understand why sharing non-explicit images can be harmful," Dodge added.

From a regulatory standpoint, the United States has taken steps through the TAKE IT DOWN Act, signed by President Trump in April 2025. This law mandates platforms to remove non-consensual intimate imagery within 48 hours. However, there is no federal law specifically targeting AI violence videos against women, especially those featuring fictional characters or unidentified individuals. The proposed No Fakes Act, currently under discussion in the Senate, is also limited to the unauthorized misuse of a person's likeness.

For Indonesia, this phenomenon is not a distant threat. With massive internet and social media penetration, deepfake content—both pornographic and violent—has the potential to spread rapidly. While the ITE Law (Electronic Information and Transactions Law) regulates decency and defamation content, there are no specific articles that cover non-sexual deepfakes. The absence of precise legal frameworks means that action against AI violence content often relies on general interpretations, while global platforms are frequently slow to respond to takedown requests from local authorities.

Furthermore, the low representation of women in AI development—less than 30% according to the WEF—exacerbates the problem. Champion argues that increasing women's voices in technology decision-making spaces would encourage platforms to more aggressively eradicate violent content from within. Without this, existing algorithms tend to disregard local contexts and marginalized victims.

Moving forward, the big question is no longer whether AI can generate violent content, but rather how quickly the digital ecosystem—including Indonesia—can build a fortress of ethics, regulation, and platform oversight. If not, this explosion of such videos will continue to erode women's sense of safety, both in public spaces and on their own phone screens.