How prepared are we for deepfakes? Researchers call for shift in AI to protect women
In the picture, a blond woman in a bikini stands on the beach. A line then flashes across the screen, exposing her nude figure.
Since last summer, the number of sites with publicly available AI image tools have multiplied and gained millions of views, and cases of AI-doctored photos of underage girls have already been shared by high school students in London, Ont., and Winnipeg. No charges have been laid in either case.
But abuse of the technology has been prosecuted in Quebec. Last year, a man from Sherbrooke in the Eastern Townships was sentenced to three years in prison for creating at least seven deepfake videos depicting child pornography.
Quebec, like the rest of the country, may not be prepared to deal with this ascendant AI technology, according to intellectual property lawyer Gaspard Petit.
And as Ottawa plays catch-up in regulating harmful content on the internet, researchers are calling for greater diversity and transparency to stop women from being targeted by the technology without their consent.
