Children are using AI to create sexual images of classmates, internet safety organization says
Experts in online child safety have warned that children are now using artificial intelligence to create inappropriate images of other children.
Business Insider reported that the UK Safer Internet Centre has called for action to be taken to tackle the issue of children creating indecent images using AI. The images that have been created are considered child sex abuse material.
The organization has insisted that children need to be educated on the dangers that come with using AI.
The UKSIC noted that children could be creating the images through sexual exploration, simple curiosity, or for a host of other reasons. However, the fear is that the images could quickly circulate online.
The organization went on to say that “parents and teachers are urged to help children understand the risks associated with making AI generated imagery of this sort,” adding that “this imagery can have many harmful effects on children — and warns it could also be used to abuse or blackmail children.”
As in the U.S., it is illegal in the U.K. to possess or create child sex abuse material, even if it is made with AI. The European country has also made it illegal to create less realistic depictions of said material, including cartoon depictions.
However, the AI-generated images currently in question are not cartoon depictions, but photorealistic images that could pass as professional photos, according to UKSIC director Emma Hardy.
“This is not some theoretical risk. It’s something we are seeing here and now.”
“We must see measures put in place to prevent the abuse of this technology. Right now, unchecked, unregulated AI is making children less safe.”
The UKSIC has apparently received a number of reports from various schools and has called on them to ensure that their online monitoring systems can effectively block illegal images that may be made available on electronic devices.
“Young people are not always aware of the seriousness of what they are doing, yet these types of harmful behaviors should be anticipated when new technologies, like AI generators, become more accessible to the public,” David Wright, another director at UKSIC, said.
“Although the case numbers are currently small, we are in the foothills and need to see steps being taken now, before schools become overwhelmed and the problem grows,” he continued.
The concern is not only that the children who are creating these images are doing so illegally, but also concern for the safety of the children who are being used to create these images, potentially making them targets of sexual predators online.
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