A landmark pledge was signed last week by Home Secretary Suella Braverman and her US counterpart Alejandro Mayorkas.
It came as research by the Internet Watch Foundation discovered that AI-generated images of shocking abuse – including babies and toddlers – are growing. The charity has also uncovered an online “manual” to help offenders train AI to improve the realism of child porn images.
Methods vary from creating completely AI-generated images to digitally manipulating existing photos.
Though often no real children are used, law enforcement agencies and charities fear the use of AI-generated images will act as a “gateway” to more serious offending.
A key strategy will be to ensure image manipulation platforms have the same safeguards as text-based AI software, such as ChatGPT, that limit the spread of disinformation.
Hans Horan, of the Proximities strategic risk group, said: “The real concern is it can act like a gateway to more illicit means of getting actual images of children being abused.”
But controlling commercially produced software may not be enough to stem the practice, he said.
“While any new legislation may prevent people from using existing off-the-shelf AI software, it will not stop people from generating
sexually-charged images of children on other, specially developed AI platforms,” he added.
On her visit to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in Washington, Ms Braverman said: “Child sexual abuse is a truly abhorrent crime and one of the challenges of our age. Its proliferation online does not respect borders and must be combatted across the globe.
“We are working to tackle the sickening rise of AI-generated child sexual abuse imagery which incites paedophiles to commit more offences and also obstructs law enforcement from finding real victims online. It is vital we work hand-in-glove with our close partners in the US to tackle it.
“Social media companies must take responsibility and prioritise child safety on their platforms.”
