APPLICATION OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TO COMBAT CRIMES IN THE FIELD OF SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF CHILDREN ON THE INTERNET

Abstract

The article explores the potential of using artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to combat crimes related to the sexual exploitation of children on the Internet. In today’s digital environment, the number of crimes committed online is steadily increasing, particularly those involving child sexual exploitation. Anonymity, global reach, high user mobility, and the low level of control over digital platforms in some countries create favorable conditions for criminal activities such as the production, storage, and distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), grooming, sextortion, live-streamed sexual abuse, and the use of online platforms for child trafficking. The article highlights the high level of children’s vulnerability to such threats, due in part to prolonged time spent online, a careless approach to online communication, and a low level of digital literacy. Given the rapid advancement of digital technologies and the growing number of related crimes, the article examines the potential of AI as a tool for preventing and investigating these offenses. It analyzes specific technological solutions already in use globally, including Microsoft’s PhotoDNA, Google’s Content Safety API, and Facebook’s tools PDQ and TMK+PDQF, which are design to detect and analyze visual content. At the same time, the article considers the risks associated with the misuse of generative AI by offenders to create fake intimate content for blackmailing children. Special attention paid to the lack of regulatory and legal frameworks governing the use of AI in law enforcement in Ukraine. Legislative initiatives in both Ukraine and the European Union are examine, and the necessity of introducing legal norms to regulate the application of AI technologies in this domain emphasized. The article proposes an amendment to the Law of Ukraine “On Combating Human Trafficking” to legalize the use of AI for detecting and blocking harmful content.