Generative AI Fuels Surge in Online Child Exploitation: Watchdogs Sound Alarm

Hot Take:

Who knew the future of AI would come with a side order of digital nightmares? It seems like Skynet decided it was bored of blowing up humanity and instead opted to make the internet a much creepier place. Thanks, technology!

Key Points:

• Generative AI is increasingly being used to create child sexual abuse materials (CSAM).
• The UK’s Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) documented a significant rise in AI-altered and fully synthetic explicit images of children.
• One dark web forum shared 3,512 images and videos of this nature in just 30 days.
• Apple is accused of underreporting CSAM cases, with discrepancies noted by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC).
• Google and Facebook report significantly higher numbers of detected CSAM cases, indicating a broader problem.

AI: Now with 100% More Creepy

Generative AI was supposed to revolutionize our world for the better, but instead, it seems to have taken a dark turn down Creepy Lane. The UK’s Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) recently published a report highlighting a surge in AI-generated child sexual abuse materials (CSAM). In one particularly grim dark web forum, 3,512 images and videos were shared in just a month. For the record, these aren’t your run-of-the-mill cat memes; these are digitally altered or completely synthetic images featuring children in explicit scenarios. The offenders even share advice and AI models with each other. It’s like a twisted version of a tech support forum from the darkest corners of the internet.

A 17% Increase in Horror

According to the IWF, there’s been a chilling 17% rise in online AI-altered CSAM since the fall of 2023. This includes everything from adult pornography edited to feature a child’s face to existing child sexual abuse content digitally altered to include different children’s likenesses. The technology is improving so quickly that fully synthetic AI videos of CSAM are just around the corner. While current videos aren’t sophisticated enough to pass as real, analysts are calling this the “worst” that fully synthetic video will ever be. So, if you thought things couldn’t get worse, the future has other plans.

Apple’s Silence Speaks Volumes

In another corner of this digital horror show, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) has accused Apple of vastly underreporting the amount of CSAM shared via its products. While Apple reported 267 cases to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in 2023, the NSPCC claims that just in England and Wales, Apple was implicated in 337 offenses between April 2022 and March 2023 alone. When asked for comment, Apple pointed to its decision not to scan iCloud photo libraries for CSAM, prioritizing user security and privacy. It’s like being asked to comment on a horror movie you directed but claiming you were only focused on the cinematography.

Google and Facebook: Reporting Champs?

Under U.S. law, tech companies must report CSAM cases to the NCMEC, and Google and Facebook are doing their part, sort of. In 2023, Google reported a staggering 1.47 million cases, while Facebook removed 14.4 million pieces of content for child sexual exploitation between January and March. Over the past five years, Facebook has noted a significant decline in the number of posts reported for child nudity and abuse. However, watchdogs remain cautious, as the ever-evolving landscape of online child exploitation is notoriously hard to combat. It’s like playing a never-ending game of whack-a-mole, but with much higher stakes.

The Battle Intensifies

Online child exploitation has always been a tough nut to crack, with predators exploiting social media platforms and their loopholes to engage with minors. Now, with the added horror of generative AI, the battle is only getting fiercer. The IWF’s report is a grim reminder that while technology can do amazing things, it can also enable the darkest of human behaviors. The fight against online child abuse is intensifying, and as AI technology continues to advance, the need for robust controls and vigilant monitoring becomes ever more critical.