Something as harmless as uploading a photo of yourself to social media can now bring unintended harm due to the surge of undress AI. Undress AI is a category of tools that takes a clothed picture of someone, and unclads them using advanced technology.
This unsettling scenario is becoming increasingly common. And victims are left scarred by the images, even if fake. This is due to the non-consensual nature of it. In this article, we will explore the problem with Undress AI and all the negative implications associated with it.
Understanding Undress AI Tools
AI undressing tools, also called “nudify” tools, draw from image elements of their training data to alter images of clothes on individuals. These tools are usually sneaky by offering misleading, compelling messaging.
They typically exist as Telegram bots or use false fronts on websites. According to an investigation by Wired, these tools have gained popularity as about 4 million users per month take advantage of the chatbot. Those numbers heavily point towards privacy breaches and misuse.
The Ethical Concerns
1. Violation of Consent
Nudify tools are often used without individual consent or permission. Oftentimes, the victims were unaware of their supposed circulating explicit images until brought to their notice. This can be seen in the case of 14-year-old Francesa Mani, a high school student in New Jersey.
Francesa and other victims, who were also her classmates, were shocked to learn about their circulating “nude” images. This occurrence, which is one out of many, raises concerns about infringement of personal rights and human respect.
2. Privacy Infringement
A nude image is no doubt a private affair. But when made public, even if AI-generated, there is a significant privacy breach. The emotional toll also remains despite the origin of the image.
Such violations can have long-lasting effects on personal and professional lives. It could cause emotional distress and reputational damage, should it be regarded as a real or original photo.
3. Cyberbullying and Harassment
Images generated with Undress AI tools count towards harmful situations where individuals are bullied or blackmailed with fabricated images. Scammers could scrape a victim’s social media page for clothed photos, “nudify” them, and then demand money to keep it private.
Sometimes it takes the bullying approach. The fabricated body features in the “nudified” images can be on the receiving end of bullying. Other times, it’s a case of revenge porn, where someone is the target of meanspiritedness with the intent to humiliate and cause psychological harm to an unsuspecting person.
Revenge porn has always existed. However, the accessibility and ease of AI tools make it easier to carry out a full assault on a character.
Impact on Women and Minors
Not surprisingly, the target for nudify tools is women and minors. Typically, the nudify tools are trained on images of females because the demand for explicit content is largely focused on women.
In fact, one nudify tool states that it can’t generate nude images of men. This shows the one-sidedness and long-standing objectification patterns, now amplified by technology.
Perhaps, even more disturbing is the use of these tools to create unclad images of minors. This was seen in the earlier case of a 14-year-old in New Jersey. Child porn and associated vices are illegal but these laws falter when AI tools, hiding under false fronts, do the heavy lifting.
With countless images of children on the internet, pedophiles have easy access to a lot of raw material.
Existing Laws and Challenges
There have been laws enacted to combat the distribution of inappropriate images. This is needful as these vices fall under sexual harassment. However, the rapid advancement of technology outpaces the guiding laws.
This makes legal enforcement difficult. Recently, President Donald Trump signed a “Take it Down” bill to prevent the spread of explicit images, including Deepfakes, on social media platforms. Social media platforms were given one year to comply with the new law, with outlined penalties for lawbreakers.
First, there is an obvious time gap that would increase the population of victims before the issue is curtailed. Second, experts were quick to point out that the law merely buffers the issue. A new law doesn’t stop it directly, and could only give victims false hope like a “poison pill”.
Also, the application of the law can be tricky: due to the clamour for privacy, many social media platforms use end-to-end encryption that absolves them of meddling in user data.
This means these platforms can’t fully access and take down offending images without breaking encryption structures. This is even more difficult as it seems like a trade-off between two major issues.
There are also offline issues to be addressed. A photo pulled down online does not erase it from a phone’s storage. An illicit picture could be saved somewhere, ready to be pulled out in the blue.
The Bottom Line
AI undressing tools are a troubling intersection of technology and ethics. Innovation is always welcomed, but not at the cost of individual rights and dignity. Tackling these constantly emerging issues will not be an easy feat. However, a multifaceted approach, a cross-section of technological safeguards, legal frameworks, and societal awareness, can nip it in the bud.
