The chilling effect': how fear of nudify' apps and AI deepfakes is keeping Indian women off the internet

"Gaatha Sarvaiya would like to post on social media and share her work online. An Indian law graduate in her early 20s, she is in the earliest stages of her career and trying to build a public profile. The problem is, with AI-powered deepfakes on the rise, there is no longer any guarantee that the images she posts will not be distorted into something violating or grotesque."

"The thought immediately pops in that, OK, maybe it's not safe. Maybe people can take our pictures and just do stuff with them,' says Sarvaiya, who lives in Mumbai. The chilling effect is true, says Rohini Lakshane, a researcher on gender rights and digital policy based in Mysuru who also avoids posting photos of herself online. The fact that they can be so easily misused makes me extra cautious. The consequence of facing online harassment is silencing yourself or becoming less active online"

"In recent years, India has become one of the most important testing grounds for AI tools. It is the world's second-largest market for OpenAI, with the technology widely adopted across professions. But a report released on Monday that draws on data collected by the Rati Foundation, a charity running a countrywide helpline for victims of online abuse, shows that the rising adoption of AI has created a powerful new way to harass women."

"It has become evident in the last three years that a vast majority of AI-generated content is used to target women and gender minorities, says the report, authored by the Rati Foundation and Tattle, a company that works to reduce misinformation on India's social media. In particular, the report found an increase in AI tools being used to create digitally manipulated images or videos of women either nudes or images that might be culturally appropriate in the US,"

Data from the Rati Foundation and Tattle indicate rising AI adoption has enabled new, powerful forms of harassment targeting women and gender minorities in India. AI-generated content increasingly produces digitally manipulated images and videos, including nudes and culturally stigmatizing depictions such as public displays of affection. India is a significant market for AI tools and experiments, with widespread professional adoption. Women and gender minorities face heightened risk of misuse of their photos, prompting many to avoid posting images and leading to self-silencing or reduced online activity. Helplines report growing numbers of victims of AI-enabled abuse.

Read at www.theguardian.com