There has been a great deal written about artificial intelligence. It has been featured here many times. Chatbot Wins (June 2016); Artificial Intelligence in our World (January 2017); Intelligence (November 2022); You're Only Human (May 2023). I have been similarly concerned with the potential for manipulating what we see. Metadata and Makeup (May 2022). Most recently, AI and the Coming Regulation (September 2023) focused on the challenges with the law addressing this new tool that will change our world.
Imagine my surprise to soon after run across an article in the British Broadcasting Corporation pages on "a sleepy little town in southern Spain." This seemingly quaint spot provides an example of much that we should fear and loathe in artificial intelligence. It is child pornography, but with a twist that is virtually unimaginable, and frankly shocking.
In this example, no one took untoward pictures of children. No one downloaded such images from a server, dark web, or worse. These pictures were "generated" by an artificial intelligence. It was provided pictures of fully clothed children and told to hypothesize or generalize or create images without the clothes. The original pictures were posted in the public domain voluntarily. These young people or their acquaintances posted those originals on social media of their own free will.
The horror of this attack impacts (ongoing, not past tense) more than 20 children. The miscreants that created the images were classless in their creation. But, striving to outdo their depravity, they also elected to share these creations online. Children are reporting to their parents that deepfakes of them are being shared about town.
There is discussion of support groups, police investigations, and potential criminal prosecution. There is discussion of the potential that extortion was involved and how applications like WhatsApp and Telegram may have been (mis)used in the process. I shudder at the implications of such technology and the depravity of those who would exploit children in such a cowardly and despicable way.
The article reports that impacts seem to be varied. Some of the victims, and they are victims, have retreated into their homes. They have been driven to isolation and reclusiveness by the actions of others.
Despite the clarity of this situation, there is apparently "public debate" over the situation. There is discussion of shame associated with "crimes of a sexual nature" and the potential for reluctance in reporting. And there is reportedly failure of the law to keep pace with evolving technology. Specifically, it notes that "Spanish law does not specifically cover the generation of images of a sexual nature when it involves adults, although the creation of such material using minors could be deemed child pornography."
Could be? One might wonder what else it might be. At a minimum, it is cyberbullying. Potentially, such misuse of people's photos might be prohibited and policed. With facial recognition and similar algorithms, it is nearly certain that social media filters could spot these photographs, note their state of undress, and prevent their dissemination. Certainly, without question, more could be done than it appears has been discussed as yet.
Fortunately, many parents are reportedly worried. Those with sons are concerned that they might have participated (or perpetrated). Those with daughters are "even more worried, because it's an act of violence." There is anger, recrimination, accusation, and angst. The deepfake concept is not new, and has been a thing since digital photos burst on the scene. But this is admittedly different, more disturbing, and predatory.
There is much to unpack in this story. There is criminality, morality, and fragility. Are we, society, prepared to sit back and allow miscreants to engage technology in ways that damage the most vulnerable in our midst? Will we allow the deployment of software that has such capability for harm and violation? Will we allow social media to hide behind its "we're just a service" excuses while such assault and attack occurs?
The entire world of business will be impacted by artificial intelligence in weeks, months, and years to come. There will be impacts on our health, safety, and welfare. We will be touched, perhaps aided, and certainly impacted by the new world coming. But, will we be forced to accept the surrender of our humanity in exchange?
The time is ripe for hard questions about how, when, and why to engage this new tool. It is imperative that we remember that it is a tool. A hammer is a tool, and likely indispensable. However, in the wrong hands, it may be a weapon rather rapidly. The key to tools is that their use or misuse is in the hands of the user. The challenge of the law is that it regulates that user effectively and sufficiently.
As we strive to see our future, let us remember those unfortunate children in Spain victimized by a tool and laws not prepared to protect them. The tool is inevitable, the failure of the law to address it is avoidable and frankly tragic.
