There's no question that artificial intelligence has made our lives much easier by automating tedious tasks and providing us with a wealth of information with just a few taps. Meanwhile, every technology has a dark side and could be used as a weapon if it falls into the hands of the wrong people. For example, one of the incorrect uses of AI is creating nude versions of people's real images.
While this could be an example of defamation or harassment, there are dozens of AI-powered "undressing" websites operating on the internet. Thankfully, the San Francisco City Attorney's office is the first legal agency in the US to aim to take down these websites — at least in its territory.
City Attorney David Chiu announced during a press conference that lawmakers have filed a lawsuit against some of the most popular websites that provide users with undressing tools. As stated in the lawsuit (PDF warning), these websites were collectively visited over 200 million times just in the first six months of 2024.
“This investigation has taken us to the darkest corners of the internet, and I am absolutely horrified for the women and girls who have had to endure this exploitation,” said David Chiu. The City Attorney also mentioned “unintended consequences” of generative AI and “criminals seeking to exploit the new technology,” urging everyone to stand up and crack down on bad actors.
These undressing websites could be violating California's revenge porn and deepfake pornography laws. According to California laws, revenge porn is an example of misdemeanor crime, and criminals could face up to 6 months in a county jail, up to $1,000 in fines, and misdemeanor summary probation.
The lawsuit also accused targeted websites of employing unfair business practices because "the harm they cause to consumers greatly outweighs any benefits associated with those practices, and they are immoral, unethical, oppressive, unscrupulous and/or substantially injurious to consumers."
Besides seeking civil penalties for offenders, the San Francisco lawmakers aim to completely take down undressing websites and prevent them from creating deepfake pornography.
Every woman and child who shares a picture of herself online could fall victim to AI-powered undressing websites. Unfortunately, except for legal actions and some alleged online tools, there is no way to stop these websites. The bad news is that AI-made videos and images are becoming so realistic that it's almost impossible to differentiate them from real-life content.
Source: City Attorney of San Francisco | Image via: Pixabay
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