CWC monitoring AI-generated child exploitation materials in PH

The Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC) on Thursday assured it is on the lookout for the presence of child abuse and exploitation materials made through artificial intelligence (AI) tools and image editing software in the country.

CWC Executive Director Angelo Tapales said that the Philippines has yet to report such cases, though it has been monitored in countries.

“Ang nangyayari diyan po, ‘yan ay tine-trade or binebenta sa dark web. So batay ho sa mga pag-aaral ho sa ibang bansa… meron silang mga na-monitor na ganito,” Tapales said in a  Balita Pilipinas Ngayon interview on Thursday.

(What is happening here is that the materials are traded or sold in the dark web. Based on the studies in other countries, they have monitored this.)

“Of course, ang pangamba ho nila, the realism is really incredible, no. So photo-realistic images po ‘yung talagang nakre-create. Talaga pong nakakabahala kaya po binabantayan natin,” he added.

(Of course, the concern is that realism is really incredible. The images created are photo-realistic. This is really alarming so we are monitoring this.)

Tapales said that based on the data of the PNP Women and Children Protection Center, there were 17,681 cases of violence against children in 2023. 

He said the top three cases are child abuse, rape and acts of lasciviousness.

“Nakakabahala po ‘yan kasi po nung 2022, same child rights violation din po ‘yung top three. RA 7610, rape at acts of lasciviousness kaya po talagang nakabantay po kami,” he said.

(This is really a cause of concern because in 2022, the same child rights violations are the top three. RA 7610, rape, and acts of lasciviousness so we are really monitoring this.)

He said the government provides emergency shelter, counseling, free legal assistance, medical and psychological services, livelihood and skills training and education assistance for the victims.—RF, GMA Integrated News