Emergence of AI Undressing Trend

Social media analytics firm Graphika observes an uptick in the use of "AI undressing," where generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools are employed to digitally remove clothing from user-provided images.

This trend raises notable concerns about privacy and consent.

Graphika's findings reveal a significant 2,408% year-on-year increase, totaling over 32,100 comments and posts on platforms like Reddit and X in 2023.

Screenshot taken from Graphika Report:

This trend is associated with the rise of synthetic Non-Consensual Intimate Images (NCII) services, utilising AI to generate explicit content without consent, posing risks of targeted harassment, sextortion, and child sexual abuse material (CSAM) production.

Graphika emphasises the ease and cost-effectiveness AI tools bring to generating realistic explicit content at scale.

Without these tools, users would need to manage custom image diffusion models, a time-consuming and potentially expensive task.

The company warns of potential consequences, including the creation of fake explicit content.

Furthermore, the use of AI for undressing extends beyond static images to video deepfakes, featuring celebrities like Mr. Beast and Tom Hanks.

Dark Web Discoveries and Concerns

In October, the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) discovered over 20,254 images of child abuse on a dark web forum in a single month, raising concerns about the potential overwhelming impact of AI-generated child pornography on the internet.

Distinguishing between deepfake pornography and authentic images has become more challenging due to advancements in generative AI imaging, according to the IWF.

AI Deepfakes as Growing Challenge

Highlighting the severity of the issue, the United Nations declared AI-generated media a "serious and urgent" threat to information integrity, especially on social media.

In response, the European Parliament and Council negotiators established rules governing AI use in the European Union on 8 December, addressing the broader challenges posed by artificial intelligence-generated content.