Child predators are taking advantage of generative AI to produce bogus content depicting child sexual abuse. Experts warned the public to be aware of these photos, which could pose a danger to the identity of some people.
Child Predators Are Abusing AI Technologies
Bloomberg reports that more artificially generated photos of sensitive online content are circulating everywhere in the first four months of 2023.
ActiveFence, a startup that specializes in content moderation, is aware of the occurrence of this matter. The head of child safety and human exploitation Avi Jager says that there's a forum that promotes child predation, and there are 68 sets of AI-altered images on the thread.
Jager kept the anonymity of the person who tipped the name of the forum for his/her safety. "We anticipate that this is going to get bigger. This is just getting started," Jager said.
ActiveFence has confirmed that no real humans were involved in the sensitive images. It appears that they were all produced via an AI tool.
It's alarming to know that tons of predatory content is just slipping away from authorities. Since it's now easier to alter an image through AI, more child predators are taking advantage of the opportunity to spot the most vulnerable victims.
Related Article : Google AI Mistakenly Flags Parent for Child Sexual Abuse Material After Taking Photos of Toddler for Medical Use
How Authorities Combat NSFW Content
Indeed, misusing the AI tool for illicit purposes can affect other people who fall victim to the malicious trap of AI-generated images.
According to Stability AI's director of communications Motez Bishara, the company has done crucial mitigation techniques to decrease the risk of exposure to their models from NSFW (Not Safe For Work) content.
One solution that they did to gradually eradicate sexual abuse material is blocking the malicious content and filtering them from their systems.
Online predators won't stop until they can blackmail their victims with their AI-generated scripts. It's a matter of time to act and protect the minors at all costs before it's too late.
Although producing images containing child abuse is deemed to be not illegal in the US, it does not mean that other countries have the same set of rules. For instance, it's not prohibited in the UK, Canada, and Australia.
In Australia, the eSafety Commission has warned that predators can automate child grooming via AI-generated programs, per The Guardian.
AI Can End Child Abuse
While some AI tools are created to make fake images of child abuse, some AI technologies are designed to put an end to them, according to AI For Good.
Joelle Casteix, the founding member of the Zero Abuse Project, said that the team is now working to bring AI to its goal of stopping the abuse and exploitation of children.
With Project G, the organization can now detect the risk factors related to predatory behaviors. Aside from child predators, the project also aims to address the issue of people who cover up sexual exploitation.
