Telegram's AI chatbots are capable of creating nudes of anyone: Report

In a new investigation, it has been found that millions of users are usingAI-poweredchatbotsonTelegramto create nude and explicit images of real people.

The users are allowed by the bots to alter photos with some clicks and create deep fakes which remove clothing from the image or fabricate sexual activity, according to a report published by Wired.

The report further stated that these chatbots have been utilised by as many as fourmillion users every month to create deepfakes.

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An alarm about the situation was raised by experts like Henry Ajder who noted that serious risks were posed by such bots, especially to young girls and women.

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Ajder had found these explicit chatbots four years ago on the social media platform. He emphasised that the situation has been “nightmarish" considering the amount of people who have been actively using them.

"It is really concerning that these tools — which are really ruining lives and creating a very nightmarish scenario primarily for young girls and for women — are still so easy to access and to find on the surface web, on one of the biggest apps in the world," he explained.

Telegram becomes hub of harmful bots

Telegram, which is primarily known for translations and alerts, has turned into a hub for such harmful bots.

Wired claimed that when they reached out to the company, they did not receive any response, however, the bots disappeared from the platform.

As per the report, the deepfake bots had clarity about what they had to do. The names and descriptions of the bot clearly referred to nudity and removing women’s clothes.

“I can do anything you want about the face or clothes of the photo you give me,” Wired claimed one of the creators’ of one bot wrote. “Experience the shock brought by AI (Artificial Intelligence),” another said.

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Speaking about the impact of these fake images to Wired, the head oftechnology-facilitated abuseand economic empowerment at Refuge, Emma Pickering said, “These types of fake images can harm a person’s health and well-being by causing psychological trauma and feelings of humiliation, fear, embarrassment, and shame."

“While this form of abuse is common, perpetrators are rarely held to account, and we know this type of abuse is becoming increasingly common in intimate partner relationships," she added.

Earlier this month, Telegram CEOPavel Durovfaced the charge of facilitating child pornography, however, there has been little change in the operations of the platform.

(With inputs from agencies)