Protecting children from online harms - how AI can pave the way to a safer internet

Securing the future

On the 19^th of September 2023, in what has been described as a “momentous day for children", the Online Safety Bill passed after many years of discussion, marking the start of a new era for managing online harms. Whilst this is a key moment in the mission to bring about stronger protection for some of the most vulnerable in society, there is still a great challenge ahead. To set the context, NSPCC research published in August this year showed that while the Bill was being discussed in parliament over the last 5 years, there has been a staggering 82% increase in online grooming crimes and a 66% increase in child abuse image crimes.

Roke is proud to be actively engaged in the fight against Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) through its delivery of the pioneering Vigil AI CAID Classifier to the law enforcement community. The Vigil AI CAID Classifier is a powerful technology which uses AI to detect and categorise the severity of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), including material that is previously unknown (i.e., undiscovered) and deepfake CSAM. In this whitepaper we explore the role of technology like Vigil AI in combatting CSE online harms and supporting the goals of the Online Harms Bill, as well as the next set of challenges that Roke is preparing to help overcome.