Home Secretary joins forces with big tech to fight AI child sex abuse images

Tech Giants Pledge to Tackle AI-Generated Child Sexual Abuse Images

Tech giants including Tiktok, Snapchat and Stability AI have all signed a pledge vowing to tackle the despicable rise of AI-generated child sexual abuse images at an event hosted by the Home Secretary Suella Braverman today (30 October).

Charities, tech firms, academics and international government representatives all gathered to focus on how to tackle the threat of child sexual abuse material generated by Artificial Intelligence (AI) after data from the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) showed that thousands of images depicting the worst kind of abuse could be found on the dark web and is realistic enough to be treated as real imagery under UK law.

At the event, hosted in partnership with the IWF and taking place in the lead up to the government’s AI Safety Summit, the Home Secretary addressed attendees, many of which have come together to sign a statement pledging to cooperate to mitigate the spread of AI-generated images depicting children being abused.

The government is also exploring further investment into the use of AI to combat child sexual abuse, and will continue to examine potential options for innovation to tackle the threat from AI generated child sexual abuse material.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman said:

“Child sexual abuse images generated by AI are an online scourge. This is why tech giants must work alongside law enforcement to clamp down on their spread. The pictures are computer-generated but they often show real people – it’s depraved and damages lives.

“The pace at which these images have spread online is shocking and that’s why we have convened such a wide group of organisations to tackle this issue head-on. We cannot let this go on unchecked.”

The IWF has warned that the increased availability of this imagery not only poses a real risk to the public by normalising sexual violence against children, but some of the imagery is also based on children who have appeared in ‘real’ child sexual abuse material in the past. This means innocent survivors of traumatic abuse are being revictimized.

The surge in AI-generated images could also slow law enforcement agencies from tracking down and identifying victims of child sexual abuse, and detecting offenders and bringing them to justice.

Signatories to the joint statement, including tech giants like TikTok, Snapchat and Stability AI, have pledged to sustain “technical innovation around tackling child sexual abuse in the age of AI”. The statement affirms that AI must be developed in “a way that is for the common good of protecting children from sexual abuse across all nations”.

Statistics released by the IWF last week showed that in a single month, they investigated more than 11,000 AI images which had been shared on a dark web child abuse forum. Almost 3,000 of these images were confirmed to breach UK law – meaning they depicted child sexual abuse.

Some of the images are based on celebrities, whom AI has ‘de-aged’ and are then depicted being abused. There are even images which are based on entirely innocuous images of children posted online, which AI has been able to ‘nudify’.

Susie Hargreaves OBE, Chief Executive of the IWF, said:

“We first raised the alarm about this in July. In a few short months, we have seen all our worst fears about AI realised.

“The realism of these images is astounding, and improving all the time. The majority of what we’re seeing is now so real, and so serious, it would need to be treated exactly as though it were real imagery under UK law.

“It is essential, now, we set an example and stamp out the abuse of this emerging technology before it has a chance to fully take root. It is already posing significant challenges. It is great to see the Prime Minister acknowledge the threat posed by the creation of child sexual abuse images in his speech last week following the publication of our report.

“We are delighted the government has listened to our calls to make this a top international priority ahead of the AI summit, and are grateful to the Home Secretary for convening such a powerful discussion.”

Chris Farrimond, Director of Threat Leadership at the National Crime Agency (NCA), said:

“We are starting to see realistic images and videos of child sexual abuse created using Artificial Intelligence, and an exponential growth in offenders discussing how to use it to generate images of real children.

“We know that as AI technologies mature and become more widely applied, they will create opportunities for offenders. But there will also be new opportunities for law enforcement and technology platforms to take action that protects children and aids identification

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. SDGs Addressed or Connected to the Issues Highlighted in the Article

   • SDG 5: Gender Equality – The article discusses the spread of AI-generated child sexual abuse material, which directly relates to the issue of gender-based violence and the protection of children.
   • SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions – The article highlights the need for cooperation between tech giants, law enforcement, and international government representatives to combat the spread of AI-generated child sexual abuse material.

2. Specific Targets Under Those SDGs Based on the Article’s Content

   • SDG 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in public and private spheres – The article addresses the need to clamp down on the spread of AI-generated child sexual abuse material, which is a form of violence against children.
   • SDG 16.2: End abuse, exploitation, trafficking, and all forms of violence against and torture of children – The article emphasizes the importance of tackling the threat of child sexual abuse material generated by AI to protect children from exploitation and violence.

3. Indicators Mentioned or Implied in the Article

   • The number of AI-generated child sexual abuse images investigated by the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) in a single month.
   • The number of AI-generated child sexual abuse images confirmed to breach UK law.
   • The number of adults in the UK who pose some degree of sexual risk to children.
   • The use of AI tools, such as the Child Abuse Image Database (CAID), to grade the severity of child sexual abuse material and aid investigations.

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

SDGs	Targets	Indicators
SDG 5: Gender Equality	5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in public and private spheres	–
SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions	16.2: End abuse, exploitation, trafficking, and all forms of violence against and torture of children	–
	–	– The number of AI-generated child sexual abuse images investigated by the IWF in a single month – The number of AI-generated child sexual abuse images confirmed to breach UK law – The number of adults in the UK who pose some degree of sexual risk to children – The use of AI tools, such as the CAID, to grade the severity of child sexual abuse material and aid investigations

Behold! This splendid article springs forth from the wellspring of knowledge, shaped by a wondrous proprietary AI technology that delved into a vast ocean of data, illuminating the path towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Remember that all rights are reserved by SDG Investors LLC, empowering us to champion progress together.

Source: gov.uk

 

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