AI-Generated Images of You: How to Get Them Taken Down

If someone has made an AI-generated image of you, report it to the platform where it’s posted, saying clearly that it’s fake and made without your consent. For sexual fakes, use StopNCII.org if you’re an adult or NCMEC’s Take It Down if you’re under 18, ask Google to remove the image from search, and consider reporting it to the police. The federal TAKE IT DOWN Act covers realistic AI-generated intimate images as well as real ones.

Seeing a fake image of yourself can be deeply upsetting, even when you know it isn’t real, and it’s not your fault. This guide explains the removal routes for each kind of fake, what the law now says, and how to handle the people who may have seen it. You can ask a friend to do any step that involves looking at the image.

First: safety and support

If the image comes with threats, demands for money, or someone who seems to know where you are, treat it as a safety issue. Contact the police, and call 911 if you’re in immediate danger. Don’t pay or reply to anyone making demands.

For support, the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative’s Image Abuse Helpline (844-878-2274) helps people in the US whose intimate images, including fakes, have been shared. If you’re struggling, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Our help resources page lists more organizations.

What kind of fake is it?

AI-generated images of real people show up in several forms, and each has its own best route.

Type of fake	Examples	Main routes
Sexual or intimate fakes	Nude or sexual images made to look like you	Platform intimate-image reports, TAKE IT DOWN Act requests, StopNCII or Take It Down, Google removal, police
Damaging non-sexual fakes	A fake photo of you drunk, in a mugshot, or at an event you never attended	Platform reports for harassment or manipulated media, a lawyer if it’s defamatory
Fake endorsements and scam ads	Your face used to sell a product or promote a scam	Ad and impersonation reports, a public warning, the FTC’s fraud reporting site, a lawyer
Fake profiles	An account using AI-altered photos of you	Impersonation reports

Step 1: Record where it appears

Before content disappears or spreads, make a short record. For adults, a trusted friend can do this so you don’t have to look again.

• Copy the link to each post, profile or page showing the image.
• Note the account name and the date you found it.
• Save any messages, threats or captions that come with it.
• If you screenshot images of an adult, keep them in a private folder, not a shared photo library.

For any image of someone under 18, record links only.

Step 2: Report it to the platform

Most major platforms ban non-consensual intimate imagery, and their rules generally apply to AI-generated or digitally altered images as well as real photos. Many also have rules against harassment, impersonation and misleading manipulated media. Use the report option on the post or profile and pick the closest category.

Keep your report short and direct. For example:

This image is AI-generated and falsely depicts me in a sexual situation. I did not consent to its creation or publication. I am the person shown. Please remove it and any copies under your non-consensual intimate imagery policy.

For intimate fakes, the TAKE IT DOWN Act strengthens your request. Covered platforms must offer a way to request removal and take down non-consensual intimate images, including realistic computer-generated ones, generally within 48 hours of a valid request. A valid request generally includes your signature, enough detail to find the image, a good-faith statement that it was published without your consent, and your contact information. Our guide on removing intimate images shared without consent covers this process in more detail.

For fake profiles using your likeness, report the account as impersonation. Our guide to online impersonation explains what platforms usually ask for.

Step 3: Use a hashing tool to block re-uploads

Hashing tools make a digital fingerprint of an image on your own device and share only the fingerprint with participating platforms, which can then detect and block matching uploads.

• StopNCII.org is for intimate images of adults.
• Take It Down, from NCMEC, is for images of people under 18, and you don’t need to give your name.

Both work from a copy of the image on your device and only on participating platforms. Check each tool’s current guidance on AI-generated or altered images. If you don’t have a copy, don’t go looking for one, particularly if the image depicts a minor; platform reports and Google requests still work without it.

Step 4: Ask Google to remove it from search

Google has a removal request for explicit or intimate images of you shared without consent, and its policy covers fake or synthetic sexual images that depict you. You can also ask Google to remove images of people under 18 from search results, and results that show your personal contact information. Our guide to Google removal requests explains which form fits.

For non-sexual fakes, Google generally won’t remove a result just because it’s false, unless it breaks a specific policy or you have a court order, for example in a defamation case. Google removal also doesn’t take the image off the website itself, so combine it with platform reports.

Step 5: Report it to the police and understand the law

The TAKE IT DOWN Act, a federal law signed in 2025, makes it a crime to knowingly publish non-consensual intimate images, including realistic AI-generated ones, with specific provisions for images of minors. Many states have also passed laws that cover sexual deepfakes, and state laws on harassment, extortion and stalking can apply too.

Other legal routes may fit non-sexual fakes:

• Defamation, if the image falsely presents something as fact and damages your reputation. See our guide to defamation of character.
• Right of publicity, in states that protect people from having their likeness used commercially without permission, which can apply to fake endorsements.
• Harassment or stalking laws, if the fakes are part of a pattern aimed at you.

This is general information, not legal advice. Talk to a lawyer or local legal aid organization about your situation, especially if you know who made the image.

If it happened at school

Fake images of students made by classmates can happen at any school. If you’re a parent or student:

1. Don’t save or share the image. Record the links and the names of any accounts or group chats.
2. Report to the platform, NCMEC’s CyberTipline, and Take It Down.
3. Tell the school in writing. Many school bullying and harassment policies cover this, and our guide to cyberbullying laws explains how.
4. Report it to the police. Sexual images of minors are illegal whether real or fake.
5. Get support for the student. The school counselor and the organizations on our help page can help.

A worked example

This is an illustrative scenario, not a real client.

A real estate agent finds that an anonymous account has posted a sexual fake image of her on a forum, with her full name and brokerage in the caption. Days later, a fake “arrest photo” of her circulates in a local community group.

1. Record. Her sister lists the links, account names and dates.
2. Reports. She files a non-consensual intimate imagery request with the forum, stating the image is AI-generated and posted without consent, and reports the arrest image to the community group’s platform as harassment and manipulated media.
3. Hashing and Google. She creates a hash through StopNCII.org and submits Google removal requests for her name’s image results.
4. Police and lawyer. She reports to local police and asks a lawyer whether the arrest image is defamatory.
5. A short statement. She tells her broker what happened and posts a brief note in the community group.

The forum removes the image and the community group post comes down after review. Google removes the search results. Outcomes in real cases vary with the sites and the evidence, but this covers the main routes.

What to say to people who saw it

You don’t have to explain anything. If it has reached colleagues, clients or family, a brief statement can stop it spreading further:

A fake, AI-generated image of me has been posted online without my consent. It is not real. I’ve reported it to the platforms and the police. Please don’t share it, and if you see it, send me the link instead.

What not to do

• Don’t reshare the fake to debunk it. Reposting, even with “this is fake,” spreads it further.
• Don’t upload the image to unknown “AI detection” or removal sites. Stick to established tools that don’t take the image. Our guide to deepfake detection explains why no detector gives a definitive answer.
• Don’t pay anyone who threatens to post more images.
• Don’t confront the suspected creator publicly. Report and get advice first.
• Don’t assume nothing can be done. Platform rules, Google’s policies and new laws all apply to fakes.

Getting help

If fakes keep appearing, or you’d rather not see them again, professional help can take on the searching, reporting and monitoring. Our content removal team does this discreetly and will tell you honestly what’s realistic. If real private photos were also involved, see our guide on what to do if your photos are leaked.

Frequently asked questions

Is it illegal to make an AI-generated image of me?

It depends on what the image shows and how it’s used. Publishing realistic sexual fakes of someone without consent is a federal crime under the TAKE IT DOWN Act, and many states have their own laws. Non-sexual fakes may be defamation, harassment or a misuse of your likeness. Talk to a lawyer about your situation.

Can I get a fake image removed if it doesn't look exactly like me?

Often, yes, if it’s recognizably meant to be you, for example because it uses your name or face. Explain in your report why it depicts you and that it was made and shared without your consent.

How do I find AI-generated images of me online?

A reverse image search of your own photos and a search of your name can surface some copies. Our guide to reverse image search explains how. If looking is distressing, ask a trusted friend to search for you.

Will the platform tell the poster I reported them?

Platforms don’t generally tell users who reported them, though a poster may guess. If you’re worried about retaliation, talk to the police or a support organization about safety before or alongside reporting.