A database that trains AI image generators uses child sex abuse images.

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A database that trains AI image generators uses child sex abuse images.

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Yesterday, a watchdog group said it found more than 3,200 images of suspected child sex abuse in LAION — an AI database of 5.8 billion images. AI image generators like Stable Diffusion have used LAION to help users create pictures based on their caption descriptions. Now, researchers say the database contains illicit content that could teach AI tools to produce explicit, realistic-looking images of fake children. Researchers also warned that AI image generators could take social media photos of fully dressed teens and turn them into nudes — a growing issue.

What's being done about this?

LAION said it was temporarily removing its datasets and called on AI companies to delete image generators that have trained on its datasets. It also said it developed “rigorous filters” to flag and remove illegal content. But those actions may not be enough. That's because it can be difficult to remove old versions of AI models from the internet. Meanwhile, OpenAI said it doesn’t use LAION to train DALL-E or ChatGPT. Google trained its text-to-image model using LAION, but it didn’t go public after an audit found “a wide range of inappropriate content including pornographic imagery, racist slurs, and harmful social stereotypes.”

theSkimm

AI technology can make it easier to create images of child sexual abuse. Now, the latest findings add to the growing calls for AI companies to put safeguards in place for the tech.

Who’s back in the news…

Harvard University’s president. Yesterday, a Republican-led House committee expanded its probe into Claudine Gay to include allegations of plagiarism. Gay, along with other university presidents, have been under the microscope for their responses during a congressional hearing about antisemitism on college campuses. Earlier this month, the Washington Free Beacon and CNN reported on Gay's alleged instances of plagiarism. That includes a paragraph in her 1997 dissertation that CNN described as “nearly identical” to another paper she didn’t cite. Other instances of alleged plagiarism date back to the ‘90s and are as recent as 2017. A Harvard independent board looked into the allegations in late October and said it found “instances of inadequate citation,” but that Gay didn’t violate the school policy. One Republican said the committee’s “concern is that standards are not being applied consistently.” Gay has previously said: “I stand by the integrity of my scholarship.”

Where gun rights are top of mind...

California. Yesterday, a federal judge temporarily blocked a California law that would've banned people from carrying firearms in public places. The law was scheduled to go into effect on Jan 1, after Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) signed it earlier this year. It would have banned people from carrying concealed guns in more than two dozen places like public parks, churches, banks, and more — regardless if someone has a permit to carry concealed weapons. The judge reportedly said the law violates the Second Amendment and is “openly defiant of the Supreme Court.” Now, Newsom apparently plans to push through more gun control legislation. Gun rights advocates said “the Court saw through the State's gambit.”

What came to an agreement…

Venezuela and the US. Yesterday, American officials confirmed they are swapping a top ally of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro for the release of 10 Americans. As part of the deal, Maduro’s buddy Alex Saab (and alleged financier) got clemency. The Biden admin said six of the 10 Americans being released were wrongfully detained — including two former Green Berets. President Biden said he’s “grateful that their ordeal is finally over.” A man convicted for playing a central role in one of the Navy’s largest corruption cases is also being extradited to the US.

What has some people saying ‘something’s not right’...

Rite Aid. Earlier this week, the Federal Trade Commission said the drugstore chain misused facial recognition on customers for nearly a decade. It found that Rite Aid was more likely to accuse Black, Latino, Asian, and women customers of shoplifting. Because the tech generated thousands of false positives, the FTC alleged employees would follow or accuse customers of stealing — humiliating them. Now, Rite Aid is settling with the FTC and is banned from using facial recognition technology for the next five years.

What’s thinking about possibly linking up…

Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Global. Yesterday, media outlets reported the two streaming giants are thinking about a possible merger. If a deal does go through, Paramount+ and Max would be under one roof. Still, it’s not clear if and when a merger could happen. For now, it could all be static noise.

What flew too close to the sun…

Bird.

Who’s Kenough for the holidays…

Ryan Gosling.

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