Guardrails to limit the risks and harms of artificial intelligence must take priority as the emerging technology embeds itself into everyday life, Australia’s online safety watchdog warns.
Julie Inman-Grant, the eSafety commissioner, will face federal parliament’s inquiry into AI on Tuesday as hearings begin in Sydney.
The safety of all Australian internet users, particularly children, will form the basis of the commissioner’s evidence as AI tools have developed faster than regulators have been able to keep up.
The watchdog said it had assisted in the rollout of a school-based reporting system to respond to increasing incidents involving teenage boys creating and sharing sexualised AI deepfake images and videos of girls based on publicly available photos.
Enforcement action against several AI nudify services had resulted in eight of the most widely used programs withdrawing access from Australia or introducing age restrictions and stricter standards.
But the commission has conceded it remains limited in its ability to address AI deepfakes which could be considered defamatory without constituting abuse.
“A non-sexual deepfake, such as a face swap, fake dance video or harmful meme, may still cause deep distress,” the commission said in its submission.
“While such material may cause harm, eSafety may be unable to seek its removal unless it meets the relevant threshold under its complaint schemes.”
Terrorists and violent extremists are also developing ways to utilise generative AI and recommender systems to spread harmful content aimed at radicalising users.
“Generative AI can now magnify these risks by enabling the rapid, low-cost creation and dissemination of sophisticated extremist material … with the potential to contribute to radicalisation,” the commission said.
Coercive control in abusive relationships could also be outsourced to AI engines according to the commission, in the form of financial abuse, impersonation or other kinds of online harm.
Equally, the submission includes concerns victims may turn to AI chatbots for support instead of trauma-informed experts.
Labor’s Digital Duty of Care bill introduced to parliament on Thursday is aimed at putting the onus on platforms and not users including measures to fulfil the commission’s push for “safety by design”.
The inquiry will also hear from the Australian Securities and Investment Commission, the national science organisation and technology experts.
A final report is due by the end of November.
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