AI and Digital Child Abuse: Emerging Challenges in India

This article from The Hindu examines the growing threat of AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM) in India, highlighting legislative gaps, global concerns, and the urgent need for policy reforms. It provides critical insights into the intersection of technology, child safety, and governance, making it a vital topic for understanding contemporary challenges in law, ethics, and public administration.

Key Points:

• Rising Threat of AI-Generated CSAM: The proliferation of AI tools has led to an increase in child sexual abuse material, posing new challenges to child safety in the digital age.
• Global Alarm: The International AI Safety Report 2025 by the UK’s AI Safety Institute flags the imminent risk of AI-generated CSAM being generated, possessed, and disseminated.
• UK Legislative Efforts: The United Kingdom is pioneering laws to combat AI tools that produce CSAM, setting a global precedent for regulation.
• Definition of CSAM: CSAM includes audio, video, and images depicting sexually explicit portrayals of children, often created or manipulated using AI.
• World Economic Forum Insight: A 2023 paper noted generative AI’s ability to produce lifelike images, particularly of children, amplifying exploitation risks.
• Internet Watch Foundation Report: An October 2024 report highlighted the widespread presence of CSAM on the open web, underscoring the scale of the issue.

Link To Original Article – https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/digital-child-abuse-the-danger-of-ai-based-exploitation/article69404942.ece