A disturbing deepfake bot on the messaging app Telegram has been used to forge nude images of underage girls, according to a new report from the research firm Sensity. The bot uses artificial intelligence to virtually remove clothes from photos, generating non-consensual sexual images.
Between July 2019 and 2020, more than 100,000 such images of 10,000 women and girls were shared online. The majority of victims were private individuals whose photos were taken from social media. Some victims appeared 'visibly underage', Sensity reported.
The bot is remarkably easy to use: users simply upload an image of a girl, click a few buttons, and the AI produces a nude. The technology is believed to be based on a tool called DeepNude, which was removed from the internet within 24 hours last year but has since been cracked and repurposed.
Giorgio Patrini, CEO of Sensity, said the innovation is not the AI itself but its accessibility. 'It's just the fact that it can reach a lot of people, and very easily,' he told CNet. The bot runs on Telegram, which promotes free speech, and its administrator claimed the service is 'purely for entertainment' and that underage images are removed.
The bot network had over 100,000 members, mostly based in Russia or Eastern Europe. About 70% of images came from social media or private sources. Patrini warned that anyone sharing images online is at risk of being targeted.
