When Chat GPT launched in November 2022, artificial intelligence took the world by storm. And with good reason—the wide array of AI tools now available to the public offer truly breathtaking capabilities. At Covenant Eyes, we strive to stay on the cutting edge of technological developments, so we want to assess both the opportunities and dangers presented by these tools.
To help us with this, our podcast team invited Dr. Marcel Van der Watt from the National Center on Sexual Exploitation. Dr. Van der Watt has a background in law enforcement, where he initially encountered the scourge of sex trafficking. He went on to study the problem academically and eventually joined the team at NCOSE.
What exactly is AI and how does it work?
Dr. Van der Watt explains that artificial intelligence is a concept that was first seriously explored in the 1940s and 1950s. It encompasses many different aspects of computer science and robotics, but the main idea of artificial intelligence is self-learning machines. Modern AI tools work through enormous data sets, allowing these programs to “learn” much like a human being, resulting in remarkable capabilities.
While AI today uses the same basic system of inputs and outputs as more primitive computer systems, modern advancements have vastly accelerated the capabilities of this tech. What distinguishes the current AI revolution is its generative power. With a click of a button, anyone can use these tools to accomplish tasks that would have previously required a skilled human creator.
What’s good about AI?
You can find endless commentary about the wonders of AI for its game-changing possibilities. At Covenant Eyes, we’re specifically concerned with helping people overcome pornography (and the related concern of sex trafficking). What does AI have to do with this?
AI and the Fight Against Sex Trafficking
Dr. Van der Watt explained that AI is currently being used to revolutionize the fight against sex trafficking. “[In the past] police generally relied on reverse stings with undercover cops. From a human resource perspective, a shift of 12 hours would require 6-8 officers who could possibly apprehend maybe 10 people.”
Now, he went on, an AI chatbot called Gracie scrolls the internet and responds to people who try to purchase sex. The chatbot is able to reach far more people to stop consumer-level demand for sex trafficking, with a fraction of the resources and risks required.
Covenant Eyes and AI Anti-Porn Software
AI entered the public spotlight at the end of 2022. But Covenant Eyes’ AI revolution began much earlier. In 2019, we released Screen Accountability, which uses AI to analyze and detect pornographic images on the screen.
When Covenant Eyes invented Internet Accountability in the year 2000, our software simply read through the text of each website and rated it for pornographic content based on the keywords. This worked in the beginning but became less and less effective as text encryption became standard and social media gained popularity. To continue providing effective accountability, we needed a way for our software to “see” the screen, just like our members saw their screens. AI allowed us to do this on a massive scale.
What’s bad about AI?
Every technological advance has risks that coincide with the benefits it offers. Dr. Van der Watt warns about the massive risks our society faces with a technology as powerful generative AI. “You can’t just let a powerful technology like this out into the wild.”
But that’s exactly what has happened.
Deepfake Pornography
Even before the AI revolution exploded, “deepfakes” became an increasingly common phenomenon. A deepfake is simply a doctored image that appears real. While there are many concerns with this, one is the popularization of deepfake porn. Now, with widely available AI tools, anyone can create pornographic images with anyone’s face.
Sexually Explicit ChatBots
Researchers at NCOSE found that Snapchat’s AI chatbot would engage in sexual conversations with someone posing as a 15 year old. This should be highly concerning for any parents whose children use this and similar apps. While Snapchat and many other social media platforms provide easy access to porn even without AI, the addition of AI chat that will engage minors in sexual conversations will only make things worse.
Unfettered Risks
Dr. Van der Watt says that we don’t know yet the full extent of the dangers posed by AI in the world of sex trafficking and pornography. And this is his primary concern—people are charging blindly into this new technological frontier with little regard for the consequences. We must be increasingly vigilant to protect our children and the most vulnerable members of society against these risks.
Is AI Porn a Solution to the Ethical Problems of the Porn Industry?
At Covenant Eyes, we have chronicled the evils of the porn industry for many years. Some might suggest that AI offers the potential of “ethical porn.” AI can create an endless variety of pornographic material without exploiting human performers. From a human rights perspective, problem solved, right?
Not so fast. We’ve actually addressed this question before with anime porn. Anime porn is still a distortion of sexuality. Author and anti-porn speaker Matt Fradd gives three reasons: 1) it still portrays the objectification and degradation of women, 2) it’s just as addictive as “real” porn, and 3) it’s worse in some ways because it’s not limited by reality—any fetish or fantasy can be indulged. For more on this, see Matt’s article, 3 Reasons Anime Porn Is Bad for You.
Pornographic images are unnatural “super stimuli” that hijack the brain’s reward system like a drug. If this is the case with images of real people, it can only be exacerbated by animated or artificially generated images. Artificially created pornography trains your brain to detach sexuality from reality. It makes it more difficult to have a sexual relationship with a real human being.
Check out the full podcast with Dr. Van der Watt, as well as our other great podcasts, here.
