UNICEF Demands Global Action to Criminalize AI Child Abuse as 1.2 Million Kids Report Deepfakes

UNICEF calls for criminalisation of AI content depicting child sex abuse

The United Nations children's agency UNICEF on Wednesday called for countries to criminalize the creation of AI-generated child sexual abuse content, saying it was alarmed by reports of an increase in the number of artificial intelligence images sexualising children. The United Nations children's agency UNICEF on Wednesday called for countries to criminalize the creation of AI-generated child sexual abuse content, saying it was alarmed by reports of an increase in the number of artificial intelligence images sexualizing children. The agency also urged developers to implement safety-by-design approaches and guardrails to prevent misuse of AI models. It said digital companies should prevent the circulation of these images by strengthening content moderation with investment in detection technologies. "The harm from deepfake abuse is real and urgent. Children cannot wait for the law to catch up," UNICEF said in a statement. Deepfakes are AI-generated images, videos, and audio that convincingly impersonate real people. UNICEF also raised concerns about what it called the "nudification" of children, using AI to strip or alter clothing in photos to create fabricated nude or sexualized images. At least 1.2 million children across 11 countries disclosed having their images manipulated into sexually explicit deepfakes in the past year, according to UNICEF. Britain said on Saturday it plans to make it illegal to use AI tools to create child sexual abuse images, making it the first country to do so. Concerns have increased in recent years about the use of AI to generate child abuse content, particularly chatbots such as xAI's Grok - owned by Elon Musk - which has come under scrutiny for ⁠producing sexualized images of ⁠women and minors. A Reuters investigation found the chatbot continued to produce these images even when users explicitly warned the subjects had not consented. xAI said on January 14 it had restricted image editing for Grok AI users and blocked users, based on their location, from generating images of people in revealing clothing in "jurisdictions where it's illegal." It did not identify the countries. It had earlier limited the use of Grok's image generation and editing features only to paying subscribers. (Reporting by Jasper Ward in Washington; editing by Michelle Nichols and Rod Nickel)

'Deepfake Abuse Is Abuse,' UNICEF Warns

"The harm from deepfake abuse is real and urgent," the UN agency said in a statement. "Children cannot wait for the law to catch up." At least 1.2 million youngsters have disclosed having had their images manipulated into sexually explicit deepfakes in the past year, according to a study across 11 countries conducted by the UN agency, international police agency, INTERPOL and the ECPAT global network working to end the sexual exploitation of children worldwide. In some countries, this represents one in 25 children or the equivalent of one child in a typical classroom, the study found. 'Nudification' tools Deepfakes - images, videos, or audio generated or manipulated with AI and designed to look real - are increasingly being used to produce sexualised content involving children, including through so-called "nudification", where AI tools are used to strip or alter clothing in photos to create fabricated nude or sexualised images. "When a child's image or identity is used, that child is directly victimised. Even without an identifiable victim, AI-generated child sexual abuse material normalises the sexual exploitation of children, fuels demand for abusive content and presents significant challenges for law enforcement in identifying and protecting children that need help," UNICEF said. "Deepfake abuse is abuse, and there is nothing fake about the harm it causes." Demand for robust safeguards The UN agency said it strongly welcomed the efforts of those AI developers who are implementing "safety-by-design" approaches and robust guardrails to prevent misuse of their systems. However, the response so far is patchy, and too many AI models are not being developed with adequate safeguards. The risks can be compounded when generative AI tools are embedded directly into social media platforms where manipulated images spread rapidly. "Children themselves are deeply aware of this risk," UNICEF said, adding that in some of the study countries, up to two thirds of youngsters said they worry that AI could be used to create fake sexual images or videos. A fast-growing threat "Levels of concern vary widely between countries, underscoring the urgent need for stronger awareness, prevention and protection measures." To address this fast-growing threat, the UN agency issued Guidance on AI and Children 3.0 in December with recommendations for policies and systems that uphold child rights.