The number of images and videos of child sexual assaults generated by artificial intelligence (AI) is increasing, a “chilling” reality that calls into question foundations for Internet surveillance.
A “chilling” progression. The number of images and videos of child sexual assault generated by artificial intelligence (AI) is exploding, worries Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), a British organization responsible for detecting and removing this content.
These videos of minors “attacked and mistreated” would be more and more realistic, to the point that it becomes difficult to distinguish them from images of real children, says the foundation in a press release posted this Friday, October 18.
deep fakes on sites accessible to the general public
In just six months, the organization’s analysts estimate a 6% increase in the number of reports containing AI-generated child sexual abuse material. In detail, the IWF had received 70 reports between April 2023 and March 2024, compared to 74 reports between April and September 2024 only.
Even more worrying, almost all of these images were on sites easily accessible to the general public. “This criminal content is not hidden on the Dark Web. Almost all reports or URLs we processed that contained AI-generated child sexual abuse material were found on the surface web,” explains an analyst at the organization, under the guise of anonymity.
images made from very real abuse
“I find it really frightening because I feel like we are at a tipping point and organizations like the police and ourselves could be overwhelmed by hundreds and hundreds of new images, without any know if a real child needs help somewhere”
Especially since images and videos of real victims are given and used by artificial intelligence to generate this content. “To achieve the level of sophistication observed, the software used had to learn from real images and videos of sexual assaults on minors shared on the Internet,” said Derek Ray-Hill, acting director general of the IWF, cited in the press release.
To deal with this, the latter urges British MPs to adapt existing laws “to the digital age” and its constantly improving tools.
the un is worried
While IT giants are racing to find the most powerful AI on the market, this new technology seems to be taking a worrying turn around the world.
In August, South Korea was facing a wave of deep fake pornographic content, mainly targeting young women and underage girls. The president then called on the police to act immediately.
Thursday, September 19, the United Nations spoke out on the dangers of the abuses of artificial intelligence. “AI must serve humanity fairly and safely (…) Left unchecked, the dangers posed by artificial intelligence could have serious implications for democracy, peace and stability,” explained Antonia Guterres , UN spokesperson.
Related News :