ROME, Italy: Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni this week denounced the circulation of a deepfake photo of her posing in bed in lingerie and said that such images created through artificial intelligence were floated online to attack her.

Meloni posted the photo on Facebook. She also shared a post from a person named Roberto, who had posted the image online and said Meloni should be "ashamed."

Meloni warned people not to share such images without checking if they are real. She said deepfakes are dangerous because they can trick people, spread false information, and target anyone. She added that she can defend herself, but many people cannot.

It is unclear whether she will report the case to the police, even though some people have suggested she should. She joked that the edited photo actually made her look better.

However, she said the bigger problem is that people will use anything, even fake images, to attack others and spread lies.

This is not the first time something like this has happened to Meloni, Italy's first female prime minister. In February, there was a minor controversy when a cherub statue in a church in Rome resembled her.

At that time, Meloni joked about it, saying she definitely does not look like an angel, along with a laughing emoji.