A Suffolk MP said she had been left violated after an image of her was manipulated using AI technology so that she appeared in a bikini.

Jess Asato, MP for Lowestoft, said on Sunday that thousands of comments were left in response to the image, including some with more manipulated images of her.

It comes after other women recently reported they had found similar sexualised images of themselves on social media platforms, describing it as dehumanising.

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said sexually manipulating images of women and children was "despicable" and the government would be banning these tools.

Asato posted on X explaining that her image had been manipulated and the BBC saw examples of such images in the comments.

However it is not clear if the image, and those posted in reply, had been created using X's much-criticised AI chatbot Grok.

A spokesperson for X said it was taking action by removing the content, permanently suspending accounts and working with local governments and law enforcement.

'It's really difficult'
Asato said she had also seen the issue on other platforms and was hoping to see the government accelerate plans to ban the tools.

"One of the things that many victims have told me is that they do feel violated and I'll be honest, while this was not as extreme as any of those examples, it does feel violating," she told BBC Radio Suffolk's Wayne Bavin.

"I would never, ever put a picture of me wearing a bikini publicly, I wouldn't do that, in fact I don't wear one on the beach even.

"It's about choice and it's about consent.

"The people who are doing this want to remove women's choice and consent over their own image.

"While of course I know it's AI, viscerally inside it's very, very realistic and so it's really difficult to see pictures of me like that.

"Even though I know it's fake it looks like me."

Kendall said the government would be banning nudification apps in the Crime and Policing Bill.

"We are in the coming weeks bringing in to force powers to criminalise the creation of intimate images without consent," she said.

"I expect all platforms to abide by Ofcom's new Violence Against Women and Girls guidance and if they do not, I am prepared to go further."

"We are as determined to ensure women and girls are safe online as we are to ensure they are safe in the real world. No excuses."