Online Child Manipulation Gets AI Help
An Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) report revealed that children under six are coerced into engaging in “disturbing” acts of sexual abuse.
According to the report, there was a 27% surge in “self-generated” child sexual abuse images and videos in 2023. The charity advocates for educating children under six about online risks.
Child Risks
The past year marked a peak for the IWF’s abuse hotline, with a 22% surge in “category A” imagery. Images under ‘Category A’ involve penetrative sexual activity, sexual activity images that involve animals, or sadism.
This marks the first time the charity has scrutinized a full year of data on abuse affecting children aged three to six. They discovered that these youngsters are targeted while using phones and devices at home.
“All ‘self-generated’ child sexual abuse imagery is horrific but seeing so many very young children in these images and videos is particularly distressing,” stated in the report.
Self-created child sexual abuse images surged by 27% within a year. Perpetrators remotely direct victims and record via webcams, constituting most abusive images examined by the IWF report.
“The term ‘self-generated’ does not mean that the child is instigating the creation of this sexual content themselves,” stated the report’s authors.
“They are being groomed, coerced and in some cases blackmailed into engaging in sexual behaviour. They are never to blame for the creation or existence of this imagery,” the report further stated.
Most of the images depicted children in domestic environments, frequently within their bedrooms. Analysts observed soft toys, games, books, and bedding adorned with cartoon characters in the background.
So, Who Feeds AI?
AI is fed in various ways, primarily by humans. The main concern is why individuals project their psychological issues onto AI. Equally important is why AI lacks clear rules and regulations governing its output.
Why is AI exacerbating issues like pedophilia and child pornography? Technology, especially AI, should serve to improve society, not perpetuate negativity.
As we end, consider AI a blessing or an enduring burden we cannot shake off.
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