Paris Hilton, accompanied by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, appeared side by side facing the US Capitol Building on January 22nd, 2026, united by a banner promoting a cause well beyond politics or fame, Protecting Survivors of Non-Consensual #AIPorn.
This odd couple paired up at a press conference to rally support for a proposed bipartisan bill called the DEFIANCE Act. This proposed legislation would provide victims with a legal right to pursue legal action against those who create or disseminate a deepfake sexual image without their permission.
Paris Hilton and AOC Unite Against the AI Deepfake Epidemic
At this press conference, victims of online sexual exploitation, bipartisan lawmakers, and activist groups who demand immediate action on this “epidemic” came together.
Hilton, who is known and recognized within homes across America today, opens up about painful experiences with digital abuse. She recalled experiences with a sex tape that was leaked to the media in 2003 when she was just 19.
However, she reveals that this is not longer classified as a scandal but rather abuse. In fact, this experience is greatly amplified with today’s artificial intelligence. Today, there are more than 100,000 deep fake AI Porn pictures of Hilton that have never been consented to by her.
“This happens with just a click of a button, all from a stranger’s imagination,” Hilton told the crowd, her voice steady but emotional. The technology that once seemed like science fiction has become a weapon used to harass, humiliate, and harm real people.
AOC herself expressed these concerns and revealed her own experience of falling prey to AI-based sexual content.
The Congresswoman from New York indicated that since public tools of artificial intelligence became readily available in society, there has been a dramatic rise in depictions of this behavior; however, it is regarding women and children to an alarming level. The effects of such depictions go far beyond humiliation because “victims have lost their jobs, dealing with mental emergencies, or in some most tragic instances, their lives.”
A Bipartisan Strike Against Non-Consensual AI Porn
A proposal to introduce the “Disrupt Forged and Non-Consensual Edits Act,” also known as the DEFIANCE Act, signifies the next step forward in efforts at the federal level to combat the problem of digital sexual abuse.
Sponsored by AOC and Rep. Laurel Lee (R-Florida), this legislation seeks to provide victims of deep fake AI porn the opportunity to combat their abusers through the justice system by holding the creators and distributors of these forms of AI Porn accountable.
This builds upon the TAKE IT act of 2025, wherein it was mandated that internet platforms take down images within 48 hours of being notified. Though platforms were now held accountable, the DEFIANCE act gives justice to the victim.
This bill has already gained significant momentum. It passed the Senate committee unanimously early last January of 2026 under the sponsorship of Senate Dick Durbin and Lindsey Graham. Even House Speaker Mike Johnson has voiced his support for this, according to Rep. Lee. This committee action is pending at the House Judiciary Committee.
Congress Targets AI Abuse with the DEFIANCE Act
House members present at the rally came from across parties: Reps. Anna Paulina Luna, Claudia Tenney, and Nancy Mace showed rare bipartisan unity on an issue that cuts across all demographics. The timing reflects a growing awareness by the public of AI’s dark side, especially in the wake of revelations about popular AI tools being misused.
Recent scrutiny has zeroed in on platforms like Elon Musk’s Grok, reportedly generating about 23,000 sexualized images of minors in just 11 days after its public launch. Such numbers have alarmed both parents and policymakers by how rapidly AI technology can be leveraged in attacks against vulnerable populations.
Advocacy groups have long complained that prosecutors often deprioritize those cases, leaving victims without any course of action. The DEFIANCE Act tries to change that by offering a legal framework devoid of reliance upon criminal prosecution.
There has been Congressional action on the part of the Capitol regarding the event, which came on the heels of the White House roundtable on AI abuse survivors.
A New Frontier for Human Dignity and Digital Rights
As a supporter of the 2024 Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act, Hilton has risen to be the voice for the vulnerable group of people who fall victims of abuse by the use of technology.
It becomes immediately evident that this battle is intensely personal for both Hilton and AOC. By being willing to discuss and share their own experiences, they have brought this conversation from an intellectually-based policy argument to a pressing issue of human rights.
There remains no doubt that, by virtue of continuing advancements in this technology, our politicians will soon feel pressed to do something to protect us from this problem becoming an even greater crisis.
The DEFIANCE Act is a beacon of hope for thousands of victimized individuals who currently have limited options when their digital pictures are manipulated and exploited. Its passage will dictate how our society weighs technological advancements against human dignity and respect.
