Grace Tame, a prominent advocate for child protection, has urged the Australian government to take urgent action to criminalise artificial intelligence (AI) tools that are being used to create child sexual abuse material. Tame’s statement, the federal government’s acknowledgement that a “duty of care” should be expected from tech platforms to protect children. It has yet to fulfill 66 other recommendations that would go much further towards protecting children online in a meaningful way.
Tame’s advocacy serves to underscore the terrible reality we face that the AI tools made for exploitation are already out there at our fingertips. More than 24 million of them went to sites that provided these tools. This unprecedented increase underscores the critical need for regulatory structures to address this expanding peril. Yet the former Australian of the Year continues to call for criminalizing possession of these tools. Further, she contends that the country simply cannot afford to allow these technologies take root unchallenged.
Government’s Response and Regulatory Framework
The Australian federal government is making big moves to keep children safe. They have repeatedly pledged to introduce a “duty of care” for online platforms. This new initiative seeks to hold those technology companies accountable for the potential harm they are causing the children who use their services. Tame said she was outraged by the treatment. Over 66 recommendations from a government-commissioned review still go unaddressed, marking a shocking inaction in the face of AI’s perils.
Colm Gannon, whose hugely influential work as a child protection advocate was instrumental in passing PBSA, called for stronger measures. He doesn’t want to see AI used to help exploit children. As he concluded, given immense participation of our distinguished members and the weighty topics we’ll be diving into, it’s no exaggeration to say the stakes have seldom been higher for this round table. He noted that the national framework for child protection, written in 2021, is a decade-long plan that does not account for AI’s presence and potential harm. This major oversight demonstrates the alarming failure of policymakers to shield our most vulnerable children from developing technological dangers.
Tame is a strong proponent of having platforms regulated. These regulations need to require them to proactively guard their services against being used to exploit children. She said it’s vital that the regulations be designed to keep this from occurring. As platforms are often the entry point to these spaces, she emphasized the responsibility of platforms in ensuring they’re not enabling access to harm. The dialogue around these regulatory efforts goes on as advocates and industry all call for urgency and decisive action.
The Role of Technology and Law Enforcement
The use of AI to produce child sexual abuse material, or CSAM, has created serious ethical implications. In responding to this alarming trend, Attorney-General Michelle Rowland called these trends “sickening” and said they “simply cannot go on.” She added that she would take into account where regulatory approaches need to be better developed in high-risk areas impacted by the use of AI technologies.
There were serious questions surfacing about law enforcement’s capacity and capability to fight online child abuse. As of 2021, police have limited their use of facial recognition tools when investigating child exploitation cases. This restriction can further complicate their ability to track down perpetrators. The controversial Clearview AI app was banned after it was found to have violated Australians’ privacy by scraping biometric data without consent. The Privacy Commissioner had ordered the deletion of all collected data. This determination emphasizes the continued difficulty in reconciling privacy concerns with the imperative to protect children.
Moreover, abusive non-consensual generative AI tools have moved from underground spaces to commercialised platforms, carving out a profit-driven ecosystem of abuse. Tame paints this concerning picture when she states, “It is a wild west. He argues it shouldn’t take any sophistication in the first place. Perpetrators are thus able to quickly purchase and download these tools to be used offline. PIJ This new development it a lit to shoe for cow authorities Teez dect to nour afford establish develop material.
The Need for Stronger Child Protection Measures
Her powerful call to action is just one part of a growing movement to strengthen child safety laws in Australia. She emphasized her worries about the growing sophistication of offenders, who are more creatively using technology and methods to escape accountability. As she said in a recent web policy chat, criminals are getting smarter. They are getting more clever and successful at escaping justice.
Tame’s personal experiences inform her passion for pushing for tougher protections. She told the story of her own perpetrator. As a result, he immediately found treatment soon after hearing of his school suspension. Almost 30 years later, she remembers those moments as if they happened yesterday. As soon as the man who offended her found out he was suspended from her high school, he immediately committed himself to a psych ward. This highlights the challenges about how to balance offender accountability with supporting victim recovery.
Though talks for children’s protections are still continuing online, Tame was frustrated by the ineffective speed of government response. “I don’t think previous governments and, unfortunately, the current government, have acted swiftly enough when it comes to child safety online,” she stated. Her comments are a good compass, pointing us toward the need for urgent and decisive action to protect children from unnecessary risk.
