As access to generative artificial intelligence tools becomes more widespread, allowing the creation of new images or videos using real people’s photographs, incidents are beginning to emerge in Portugal where young individuals alter and transform pictures of their peers for sexual purposes, stated Carla Costa during a campaign event for the PJ’s Missão Cibersegura in Coimbra.
“Some situations have arisen, particularly in school settings, where young people take a photo from a social network—a harmless photo—and then use artificial intelligence tools to remove the depicted individual’s clothing, sharing this image via WhatsApp or other platforms,” she explained, noting that the images often circulate among classmates or even throughout schools.
Carla Costa highlighted that many youths see these actions as “a joke” and warned that such behaviors have “consequences.”
“There is a risk of [this phenomenon] growing. They can easily access these applications, which allow them to do these kinds of things that have a very negative impact on the lives of the victims, on the lives of those targeted,” she noted.
Another rising concern in the digital landscape is “online sexual extortion,” a trend gaining momentum not only in Portugal but also across Europe. This situation involves either obtaining more intimate content or perpetrators seeking a monetary reward to keep certain content undisclosed.
In response, the PJ has released a video game addressing various digital risk scenarios, including cyberbullying, grooming, hate speech, and misinformation.
This tool has been utilized in classroom contexts for children aged 10 to 16, with plans already underway to update the game with new emerging phenomena.
“We are already planning new scenarios and are seeking funding to upgrade the game” to better protect young people in other digital contexts, noted the chief inspector of the PJ.
