Episode 56

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Published on:

6th Aug 2025

Addressing the Gendered Harms of AI and the Tech Industry - Prof Clare McGlynn

How are artificial intelligence and other technologies exacerbating misogyny and undermining women’s rights and safety? What are the emerging forms of violence against women and girls being facilitated by AI, such as deepfakes and nudify apps? What is driving so many men to view and create such material, and how is it shaping their sexual attitudes and behaviours? What actions are needed to address these harms, and by whom? For many years, Prof Clare McGlynn has been at the forefront of efforts to tackle the devastating impacts of online violence against women and to establish stronger forms of regulation. Central to her work on sexual violence are the perspectives of victims and survivors, particularly their understandings of what justice means to them.

 In this episode, we explore her approach to these issues and some of the challenges involved, including the masculinist dynamics of the highly profitable tech and porn companies, and obstacles in attempting to regulate the transformation of these industries in recent years.  

Clare also talks about recent aspects of her influential advocacy work.  For example, she provided legal expertise to the successful campaign to persuade the UK Government to adopt a law criminalising the creation and solicitation of sexually explicit ‘deepfakes’. We explore too her work to reduce the easy and growing availability, and adverse impacts, of extreme and abusive pornography (including ‘strangulation porn’ and ‘incest porn’). She outlines her involvement in the campaign to tackle the harms of strangulation in mainstream pornography. 

We conclude by discussing with Clare what led her to focus increasingly on online and tech-facilitated harms in her work, and how her sense of responsibility and justice sustains her in continuing to research such distressing issues. 

Clare is a Professor of Law at Durham University, with particular expertise in the legal regulation of pornography, sexual violence and online abuse, especially image-based sexual abuse (i.e. taking, creating, and sharing intimate images without consent). In 2020, she was appointed an Honorary KC (Kings Counsel) in recognition of her exceptional work within the legal profession.

Episode timeline

  • Introduction
  • How AI is deepening gender inequality (02:34-04:21)
  • Emerging AI-driven forms of violence against women (04:21-06:08)
  • The masculinist dynamics of the tech industry (06:08-08:52)
  • Why attempts to regulate Big Tech have been so lacklustre (08:52-11:31)
  • The new UK law Clare helped to introduce criminalising ‘deepfake’ images (11:31-16:44)
  • Why the criminal law can be a useful tool for feminist campaigners (16:44-19:34)
  • Why debates about ‘carceral feminism’ should not be reduced to either/or (19:34-24:23)
  • Victim-survivors’ wide-ranging perceptions of justice (24:23-26:27)
  • Break
  • What is driving so many men to engage in image-based sexual abuse (26:35-29:56)
  • Why the online world is not simply a reflection of wider society (29:56-31:35)
  • The role of pornography and how it’s shifted over time, e.g. ‘incest porn’ (31:35-36:55)
  • The personal impacts of doing this research (36:55-38:25)
  • Is porn simply giving people what they want? (38:25-40:46)
  • How porn influences our attitudes, behaviours, and relationships (40:46-44:11)
  • The mainstreaming of strangulation in sex (44:11-48:04)
  • Talking to young people (48:04-52:05)
  • What sustains Clare to keep doing this work (52:05-54:24)
  • Conclusion (55:15-01:02:27)

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About the Podcast

Now and Men
Current conversations about men's lives
What's it like to be a man in the 21st century? How are feminist issues relevant to men and boys? How can we engage in productive conversations about gender equality? These questions are being discussed more than ever.

Our monthly podcast delves into these issues with experts such as practitioners, activists and academics. In each episode, you’ll hear in-depth conversations about a wide-range of topics connected to masculinity and the lives of men and boys, from supporting men's health, to preventing gender-based violence, to promoting involved fatherhood.

The podcast is hosted by two social science researchers, based on the opposite sides of the world: Sandy Ruxton from Durham University's Centre for Research into Violence and Abuse (UK) and Dr Stephen Burrell from the University of Melbourne (Australia). If you would like to give us your feedback, suggest a guest, or have a question you'd like us to discuss, get in touch at nowandmen@gmail.com. And if you like what we do, please share us with your friends, and leave a review!

About your hosts

Stephen Burrell

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I am a Lecturer in Criminology at the University of Melbourne. I'm originally from the UK, and moved to Australia at the beginning of 2024. My research is about men, masculinities, and violence. I am particularly interested in the prevention of men's violence - especially violence against women, and violence against the environment - and promoting care as an alternative. I'm a big fan of feminism, drinking tea, connecting with nature, eating vegan snacks, and listening to heavy metal.

Sandy Ruxton

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Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of Sociology at Durham University (UK). Independent researcher, expert on men and masculinities. Previous policy work on human rights, children and families, poverty and social exclusion, and asylum and migration. Programme experience with boys and young men in schools, community, and prisons. Steering Committee member, MenEngage Europe. Volunteer for OX4 Food Crew. Chess-player, bike-rider, tree-hugger. Great grandfather edited Boy's Own Paper, but was sacked.