Child safety advocates met at Congress homes to tackle child safety issues in the age of artificial intelligence.
From the growing prevalence of deepfake images to the availability of so-called Nudify apps, sexually exploiting children to use AI has grown exponentially.
The Round Table was convened by the Australians of International Exploitation and Missing Children, or ICMEC.
CEO Colm Ganon says Australia's current child protection framework, introduced just three years ago, cannot address the AI threat — and he's urging the government to make it a priority.
“() bring it to the national framework brought in 2021, a 10-year framework that doesn't mention AI. We are working to develop solutions for governments to bring child safety at the age of AI at the forefront.”Earlier this year, the UK became the first country in the world to introduce AI sexual abuse crimes to protect children from predators that generate images using artificial intelligence.
Colm Gannon is leading a request for similar laws in Australia.
“All we need to do is see the laws that become inclusive — inclusive for protection, inclusive for enforcement and indeed for technology neutrality.”
Former Australia of the Year Grastami says that online child abuse needs to be addressed at the society-wide level.
“An assailants not only groom individual victims, but they also groom the entire environment to create a control regime where abuse can be clearly acted upon. There are also ways to identify victims like victims, such as victims who are targeting victims, through education that require them to work not only in children and people who work with children, but also in the community. Specifically.”
In 2023, intelligence company Graphica reported that the use of synthetic, indifferent, intimate images has now become available on niche internet forums and is moving towards automated, scaled online businesses.
We found that 34 of these image providers received over 24 million unique visitors to their website, but the number of links accessing these services has increased on platforms including Reddit and X.
As part of Task Force Argos, former police officer Professor John Rouse has pioneered Australia's first active operation of internet child sex offenders and is also chairing Interpol's secret internet investigation group.
Now, in collaboration with Childlight Australia, major technology providers like Apple say they are responsible for building safety management on their products.
“Apple is also accountable here too. They put things in the App Store and get money every time someone downloads it, but there's no regulation on this. You create an app that puts it in the App Store.
Apple has not responded to requests for comment.
However, in 2021, it announced that it had introduced new features designed to keep young people safe, such as sending warnings when children receive it or trying to send videos containing nude.
Although potentially dangerous, AI can also be used to detect grooming behavior and child sexual abuse material.
Colm Gannon of ICMEC says these opportunities need to be taken advantage of.
“What we want to do is use law enforcement as a tool to identify victims. We have technology that can help you get quick and easy access to victim IDs, and what's happening at this point is that law enforcement cannot use that technology.”
