AFP warns of rise in AI-generated child abuse material
The Australian Federal Police reports a documented rise in AI-generated child abuse material in the past year, including students creating deepfakes to harass classmates. Two men were imprisoned for creating and possessing such material, and the AFP is urging parents to educate children about the criminal nature of AI-generated abuse content.
What happened
The Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation has witnessed an increase in the use of AI-generated child abuse material over the past 12 months, including a rise in students creating deepfakes for purposes such as harassment and embarrassment of classmates.
Two Australian men were imprisoned in the past year, one for possession of AI-generated child abuse material and another for using an artificial intelligence program to produce child abuse images.
Reported impact
The material is used to intimidate or harass fellow students. Children and young people may not be aware that using AI to create material depicting minors could constitute a criminal offence.
Governance controls
The AFP's ThinkUKnow education program delivered 2,218 presentations about online child sexual exploitation to 202,905 students across Australia in the 2023/2024 financial year, with an additional 317 presentations to more than 21,500 parents, carers and teachers.
AFP Commander Helen Schneider emphasized that anything depicting the abuse of someone under 18 - whether videos, images, drawings or stories - is child abuse material regardless of whether it is real or artificially generated, and urged parents and guardians to have open conversations with children about the dangers and the accessibility of AI technology.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.