The 2024 CESE Summit: Igniting a RenAIssance for Human Dignity Last week was the 2024 Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation (CESE) Global Summit!
Co-hosted by the National Center on Sexual Exploitation and the PHASE Alliance the CESE Summit brought together over 600 movement leaders and advocates from 15 countries. The energy was palpable as we convened in-person for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The theme of this year’s Summit was “The Great Collision: Emerging Tech, Sexual Exploitation, and the Ongoing Pursuit of Dignity.” With rapid developments in AI ushering in a technological revolution of epic proportions, it is imperative that we proactively steer and shape this revolution. Check out some of the highlights of this incredible event below! |
VICTORY! Google Enhances Protections Against Deepfake and AI-Generated Pornography In a significant stride towards combating image-based sexual abuse (IBSA), Google has announced major updates to its policies and processes to protect individuals from deepfake and AI-generated pornography.
These changes, driven by feedback from experts and survivor advocates, represent a monumental victory in our ongoing fight against IBSA.
In an instant, anyone can become a victim of deepfake or AI-generated pornography. It can happen to you and any of the people you love. If a photo of your face exists online, you are at risk.
Read more about what Google is doing to combat this epidemic, and the years of advocacy which led to this victory. |
Microsoft's GitHub Must Follow Google's Example Google was far from the only corporation facilitating deepfake and AI-generated pornography. In fact, there is one corporate entity that is at the root of almost all of this abuse: Microsoft’s GitHub.
Microsoft’s GitHub is the global hub for creating sexually exploitative AI tech. The vast majority of deepfake and AI-generated pornography originate on this platform owned by the world’s richest company. It’s time for Microsoft’s GitHub to stop fueling this problem and start fighting it instead |
Tech Policy: Big Tech May (Finally) Be Taking Explicit Deepfakes Seriously
In the last year, tech giants like Google, Microsoft, and Meta have faced mounting criticism from digital safety experts, womens’ rights advocates, and legal scholars alike for their perceived roles in the “skyrocketing” popularization of non-consensual, sexually-explicit deepfakes online.
Critics have pointed to Google’s reluctance to de-index AI-generated pornography websites in search, Meta’s tendency to carry advertisements for AI-powered “nudify” apps on Facebook and Instagram, and Microsoft’s failure to put adequate guardrails around its own AI tools as evidence of the industry’s complicity in the growing epidemic of deepfake abuse, which studies have found disproportionately impacts women and girls worldwide.
However, several announcements related to these companies in the last week could signal a sea change within Big Tech, and may give those calling for more aggressive moderation of explicit deepfakes reason for optimism. |
