Paedophiles using open source AI to create child sexual abuse content, says watchdog

People sharing on dark web how to modify software on their computers to manipulate photos of children, says IWF

Freely available artificial intelligence software is being used by paedophiles to create child sexual abuse material (CSAM), according to a safety watchdog, with offenders discussing how to manipulate photos of celebrity children or known victims to create new content.

The Internet Watch Foundation said online forums used by sex offenders were discussing using open source AI models to create fresh illegal material. The warning came as the chair of the government's AI taskforce, Ian Hogarth, raised concerns about CSAM on Tuesday as he told peers that open source models were being used to create some of the most heinous things out there".