S’porean actress horrified by AI-generated images of her with another man, condemns ‘lack of empathy’
Singaporean actress Eswari Gunasagar has called out a Facebook account which allegedly circulated AI-generated photos of her in a bikini, falsely claiming that she was his wife and expressing a desire to rape her.
What shocked her even more was how some netizens responded — she recounted that several mocked her, while others made light of the ordeal.
In a social media post on July 2, Eswari said she went through an experience at the beginning of June that left her “sick to (her) stomach”.
The 36-year-old, who tied the knot with her partner, Shane Meyers, on May 9, recalled discovering that a Facebook user had used artificial intelligence (AI) to generate images of her and the user at a beach, with her depicted wearing a bikini.
Having never posted photos of herself in a bikini before, she said the incident was “worrying”, especially for her parents.
Eswari reported the post and messaged the Facebook user, warning him that she would make a police report if it wasn’t removed.
‘I want to rape my wife’: Netizen allegedly continues circulating photos
Although the post was taken down, she realised the following day that he had continued to circulate the photo, alongside other false claims.
“He was claiming that I am his wife, he wants to file a PPO against me because I’m bullying him. He even uploaded the picture with the caption saying, ‘I want to rape my wife’, so that was how bad it was,” she recounted, saying that she lodged a police report immediately.
She had also shared screenshots of the account on June 4, urging others to report the profile on the social media platform.
“The level of entitlement it takes to take someone’s face, manipulate it, and put it online for your own sick amusement is beyond disgusting,” she wrote at the time.
In her July 2 post, she added that the profile was taken down just three hours later, expressing gratitude to netizens who helped send in reports.
Calling out ‘lack of empathy’ in some netizen responses
However, what shocked her more was how some netizens reacted to the situation.
A screenshot of another netizen’s post read: “I bet she won’t be posting like this if someone like Michele Morrone or Hrithik Roshan did it. You’re a celebrity, what do you expect lol.”
She said that instead of condemning the act of generating and circulating fake AI images, some people chose to “mock the victim”, describing the response as “everything wrong with society”.
“The problem isn’t just technology. It’s the lack of empathy, the ignorance, and the willingness to excuse such harmful behaviour just because it’s not happening to you,” she insisted.
“The moment we start laughing at the victims instead of standing up for them, we become part of the problem.”
Stomp has reached out to Eswari Gunasagar for more information.
See something interesting? Contribute your story to us.
