Recently, I came across this research article by Angus Crawford and Tony Smith in which the introduction said, “Paedophiles are using artificial intelligence [AI] technology to create and sell life-like child sexual abuse material, the BBC has found.”
That opening statement of fact tells us something shocking about the human species. It is that humans have made the sexual abuse of children a common event and practice, a brutal destructive entertainment, a money-making business to satisfy the lust and evil desire of humans to have sex with children.
That is a most unnatural act one could think of. What is more unnatural and more shocking is that most humans ignore, tolerate and so many approve and practice it, while law enforcers and Internet corporations seem unwilling or incapable to stop it.
It should make us rethink our own human nature and admit that it is seriously, morally flawed, and tends to choose or tolerate evil rather than seek to establish the good among humankind. We can at least realize that it is in need of much expansive moral and spiritual evolution.
The human species is the only one I know of that sexually exploits the bodies of its own offspring. In doing so, a heinous crime is committed, damaging and even destroying the life of a human person.
It should make us rethink our own human nature and admit that it is seriously, morally flawed, and tends to choose or tolerate evil rather than seek to establish the good among humankind. We can at least realize that it is in need of much expansive moral and spiritual evolution
Humans pride themselves as being the most intelligent creatures to evolve. Walking the earth and conquering it, creating music and art, burning forests, oil and gas coal and changing the climate, and destroying the environment that sustains all life there. The inextinguishable greed and moral poverty they has almost exterminated all other creatures.
Humans have invented machines to duplicate human intelligence and use it to travel to outer space and walk on the moon. They have devised cunning and effective methods and weapons to kill and annihilate each other, and are so aggressive and intellectually insane they are ready to devastate the planet with nuclear war and likely make it unlivable for all life other than cockroaches and rats.
Now, the machines they have invented would seem to have become more intelligent than humans, making calculations a thousand times faster than a human and investing, creating proteins and medications, and performing mathematical tasks impossible for humans. These are the machine slaves of humans and they can and are being used to do the good and the bad that humans want, like creating life-like images of children being sexually assaulted.
Artificial intelligence is a mighty technology meant to supplement human intelligence. As one description has it: “Artificial intelligence is the simulation of human intelligence processes by machines, especially computer systems. Artificial general intelligence [AGI] is the representation of generalised human cognitive abilities in software so that, faced with an unfamiliar task, the AGI system could find a solution. A machine that learns by itself, AI requires a foundation of specialised hardware and software for writing and training machine learning algorithms.
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Now, the machines they have invented would seem to have become more intelligent than humans, making calculations a thousand times faster than a human and investing, creating proteins and medications, and performing mathematical tasks impossible for humans
Unlike other tools invented, this one has a mind of its own, has no moral values or restrictions and, once it is set a task and left running, will continue to do it whether good or bad with ever increasing efficiency and improvement every time it is turned on. This computer software will work away at incredible speed to accomplish the new tasks that it can invent and without human interference, can set for itself.
This is what is causing concern. AI can be much smarter than the humans that invented it and, like the legendary HAL2000 in the movie, 2001: A Space Odyssey, take over the ship or, nowadays, be used to take over the operation of a nuclear power plant and hold the world to ransom.
Humans are wrongfully and criminally using this AI technology to create horrific images of children being sexually abused in increasingly ways that the Artificial [or Alternative] Intelligence can devise. Angus Crawford and Smith, in their important and disturbing article, say, “The makers of the abuse images are using AI software called Stable Diffusion, which was intended to generate images for use in art or graphic design.”
AI enables computers to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence. The Stable Diffusion software allows users to describe, using word prompts, any image they want – and the program then creates the image.
But the BBC has found it is being used to create life-like images of child sexual abuse, including of the rape of babies and toddlers. Later the article states that a “pseudo-image” generated by a computer that depicts child sexual abuse is treated the same as a real image and is illegal to possess, publish or transfer in the UK.
The makers of the abuse images are using AI software called Stable Diffusion, which was intended to generate images for use in art or graphic design
However, now we come to the dissemination of these child abuse images which are being sold to customers in Japan and through Japanese on-line platforms. The creation and sale of sexualized images, child pornography and even sex acts with a child is not illegal in Japan. This they say is because the Japanese lawmakers seemingly believe that so long as the image is not that of a real child depicted being raped but a cartoon drawing image of it, it is okay.
Even cartoon games of a child being abused is apparently allowed. The pedophiles using AI making very realistic life-like images of child abuse are working overtime and making billions of dollars.
Telecommunications companies and Internet Service Providers are still challenged to act to protect children from abuse. Simulated images of child abuse incite pedophiles to abuse children physically. This AI detection programme is so powerful that it can identify, detect, intercept and record any image of child abuse passing through a computer server, whether it is of a real child being abused or a simulated one.
These simulated AI images are also illegal in most countries except Japan but they can be blocked by an AI programme. It is like the battle of the robots.
Service providers allegedly reject the AI programmes since because they slow their servers and they will lose money. The child abuse is allowed to go on, making the telecommunications corporations the enablers of child abuse on-line.
AI can be used for the good to protect children but will the powerful ISPs defy the law and ignore their obligation to protect children from harm? Only a more powerful leader will stand against their influence and power.
Father Shay Cullen
www.preda.org
