UMass AI&Sec Fall 25 Seminar: Rebecca Portnoff, Safety by Design for Generative AI: Preventing Child Sexual Abuse
Content
Speaker
Abstract
Generative AI is being misused today to further sexual harm against children. 1 in 10 minors report knowing peers that have used generative AI to create explicit images of other kids; 11% of reports of sexual extortion (in which tactics were apparent) to the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children included threatening children with fake sexual imagery; 50% of Law Enforcement have encountered AI-generated child sexual abuse material used to groom minors; the Internet Watch Foundation observed a 10% increase in sadistic and hardcore AI-generated child sexual abuse material in the material they assessed from 2023 to 2024.Yet, we still have a window of opportunity to go down the right path with generative AI and ensure children are protected as the technology is built and globally adopted. This talk will unpack the tangible technical and policy solutions that can be implemented to prevent and combat AI-facilitated child sexual exploitation and abuse, detailing where and how these solutions are in place today and what gaps must still be addressed.
Bio
Dr. Rebecca Portnoff is an expert on AI and child safety, responsible and ethical AI systems, and multi-stakeholder strategy for driving impact. She holds a B.S.E. from Princeton and a Ph.D from UC Berkeley, both in computer science, and is currently the Head of Data Science & AI at Thorn. Rebecca is an MIT Tech Review 35 under 35 innovator, and a Fast Company AI 20 technologist.
Host
UMass AI Security