AI Poses Risks to Real Child Victims, Warn Experts from IWF

Experts are raising alarms about the dramatic rise in AI-generated child abuse images, which have surged 300% in 2024 compared to the previous year, complicating efforts to combat real child exploitation. The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) warns that law enforcement might incorrectly focus on non-existent victims while potentially overlooking real ones, stating that AI imagery can now be indistinguishable from actual photos. Dan Sexton, IWF’s CTO, emphasizes the growing challenge of identifying whether a child in an image needs rescuing or is an artificial creation. Natalia, an IWF analyst, notes the increasing sophistication of AI-generated content, making it alarmingly difficult to detect. The National Crime Agency acknowledges that these advancements add complexity to their investigations, but they are committed to integrating new technologies to address the issue. The spread of such AI-generated material poses a genuine risk to actual victims, underscoring the urgency of improving detection methods.

Source link