Geordie Shore star Vicky Pattison bravely made her own AI-generated porn scenes in order to highlight the issue for a Channel 4 documentary

Vicky Pattison has faked her own porn film

Reality star Vicky Pattison has taken the bold move of faking her own sex video in order to investigate deepfake porn.

The Geordie Shore star has produced and directed the scenes in which her own face has been digitally added to the body of an actress. The TV star resorted to the drastic measure as part of a Channel 4 documentary which sets out to investigate the proliferation of deepfake porn and the impact it has on women and girls. She admits she “wrestled with the decision” for a long time before accepting that the video in which she seems to appears “may live online forever”.

The practice of deepfakes, in which individuals are digitally made to look as though they are taking part in pornography despite never having done so, is the latest way in which women can suffer sexual abuse online, with victims often left traumatised. Vicky, who got married this summer to clothing brand manager Ercan Ramadan, 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”.

Vicky has made the campaigning documentary for Channel 4 to highlight online abuse

“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 explained. “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.”

Vicky, 37, added: “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.”

She hopes that by highlighting the issue she can bring about change from those in power and from tech companies. “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 in a bid to help her understand how this type of content spreads online – and how to get it taken down. Nearly 4000 celebrities have become victims and the government has recently announced plans to criminalise the creation of sexually explicit deepfakes.

Vicky will speak to Northern Irish politician Cara Hunter and C4 New presenter Cathy Newman along with many other women who are not in the public eye.

Channel 4 specialist factual boss Shaminder Nahal said she hoped the “bold and insightful” film would offer real insight and spark debate. “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.”

Vicky Pattison married Ercan Ramadan in August and has now made a sex tape to highlight the important issue(Image: Vicky Pattison Instagram)

She said they were “hugely grateful” to Vicky for the way in which she had immersed herself i the subject of image-based abuse “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 said Vicky had helped to create a “brave and harrowing” documentary which explored 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.”

Vicky appeared in MTV’s Geordie Shore from 2011 until 2014 and followed it with appearances in Ex on the Beach and with her own show Judge Geordie. She won I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here in 2015 and the following year became a panellist on ITV ’s Loose Women.