Gender & Sexuality Studies 2026 (GSS 2026)

Abstract

Sexual violence has long been recognised as a pervasive form of gender-based violence, yet the emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) introduces new layers of complexity to how it manifests, is concealed, and potentially amplified. Generative AI technologies, in particular, open pathways for creating non-consensual sexual content, manipulating intimate images, facilitating online harassment, and expanding the reach of sexual exploitation. This paper offers a critical literature review of the intersections between AI and sexual violence, drawing from criminological and feminist perspectives. Instead of examining technical functionalities, our focus is on the implications of AI integration. We analyse how AI may reinforce structural gender inequalities, render experiences of sexual violence invisible, and generate new opportunities for perpetrators—such as deepfake pornography, automated grooming, and surveillance-based coercion. At the same time, we reflect on how AI is being positioned as a potential tool for prevention and detection, including predictive policing, content moderation, and digital evidence collection, while questioning the risks of bias, accountability gaps, and lack of gender-sensitive frameworks. By synthesising emerging research, we aim to highlight both the threats and possibilities that AI poses in the context of sexual violence. This paper will be of interest to conference participants concerned with the ethical, legal, and criminological challenges of digital technologies, gender and sexuality and with developing critical approaches to ensure that AI does not become complicit in reproducing or escalating sexual violence.

Biography

Cátia Pontedeira has an European Criminology PhD. She is currently a Professor at the University of Maia and the University of Minho at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels in Criminology. She is an integrated member of the Interdisciplinary Center for Gender Studies, Higher Institute of Social and Political Sciences of the University of Lisbon (CIEG/ISCSP-ULisboa). Catia conducted several studies for the European Institute for Gender Equality as coordinator and contributed as Senior Researcher. She was also a researcher of more than 15 international projects with competitive funds. She contributed to more than 75 training actions for frontline professionals and has had numerous media appearances, mostly related to gender-based violence, in different media outlets in Portugal. She is a member of the Observatory of Murdered Women (OMA-UMAR), and researcher of the European Observatory of Femicide. With an extensive network in Criminology, Cátia has contributed to several books, manuals and papers. Main areas of interest are: intimate partner homicide, domestic violence, intimate partner violence, sexual crimes, sexual harassment and other forms of gender-based violence, prevention of violence and sentencing studies