Washington DC - Paris Hilton joined Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Laurel Lee on Capitol Hill on Thursday to advocate greater protections against AI-generated, pornographic deepfakes.

"Since the public release of AI tools, we have seen an absolute explosion in AI-generated images used to sexually harass victims and children," AOC said during a press conference outside the US Capitol.

"Out of all deepfake images that AI has generated, over 90% have been non-consensual, pornographic deepfakes. And out of those images, 90% of them have targeted women."

AOC and Lee have introduced the DEFIANCE Act to enable survivors to take civil action against those who produce or distribute such images and to recover profits from their likeness.

The legislation has already passed in the Senate but is still pending approval in the House.

Survivor Francesca Mani urged Congress to pass the bill now, saying there should be "no more waiting while tech outpaces justice."

Mani was just 14 years old when she became the target of deepfake abuse from other students at her high school. At the time, she said the school administration told her no laws existed that would allow her to press for accountability.

The 17-year-old said the DEFIANCE Act would "empower survivors and make our world safer."

Hilton joined lawmakers on Capitol Hill to show her support for the DEFIANCE Act and to denounce the "epidemic" of deepfake pornography, a fight she said was personal to her.

The businesswoman and socialite recounted her own experience as a 19-year-old when an intimate video of her was shared without her consent.

"People called it a scandal. It wasn’t. It was abuse," she said. "There were no laws at the time to protect me. There weren’t even words for what had been done to me. The internet was still new, and so was the cruelty that came with it."

"They called me names, they laughed and made me the punchline," Hilton continued. "They sold my pain for clicks, and then they told me to be quiet, to move on, to even be grateful for the attention."

"These people didn't see me as a young woman who had been exploited. They didn't see the panic that I felt, the humiliation or the shame. No one asked me what I lost."

Hilton's documentary film Infinite Icon is set to hit theaters on January 30. She described the project as "the next chapter in my healing journey," but acknowledged many other survivors do not have the platform she has to "reclaim my story."

"Victims deserve more than after-the-fact apologies. We deserve justice," Hilton said.

"People don’t recognize enough how effective Paris Hilton is in her advocacy. Not only does she throw her public power behind survivors, but she also brings a fierce behind-the-scenes operation with her," AOC posted on X.