AI-generated ‘poverty porn’ fake images being used by aid agencies

Exclusive: Pictures depicting the most vulnerable and poorest people are being used in social media campaigns in the sector, driven by concerns over consent and cost

AI-generated images of extreme poverty, children and sexual violence survivors are flooding stock photo sites and increasingly being used by leading health NGOs, according to global health professionals who have voiced concern over a new era of poverty porn".

All over the place, people are using it," said Noah Arnold, who works at Fairpicture, a Swiss-based organisation focused on promoting ethical imagery in global development. Some are actively using AI imagery, and others, we know that they're experimenting at least."