AI-Generated Content: The Rise of Nudify Apps and Other Potentially Threatening Changes

As Featured on 60 Minutes

Artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed many aspects of our lives for the better, from healthcare advancements to educational tools. However, as 60 Minutes recently highlighted, AI also introduces significant risks that society must address—particularly when it comes to tools like nudify apps. These platforms use AI technology to manipulate real images of fully clothed individuals, creating hyper-realistic, fake nude photos without consent.

While these apps claim to enforce age and consent restrictions, most lack effective verification systems. As a result, young people—especially girls—have been targeted, facing emotional harm, anxiety, and humiliation. Once these manipulated images are created, they can spread quickly across social media, often amplified in school settings, where rumors escalate the harm. Even if deleted, the fear of such content resurfacing can be a constant burden for victims.

The misuse of AI is not limited to nudify apps. Other AI-driven threats are emerging that could further exploit young people.

• AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM) is now being created without involving real individuals, yet it still normalizes harmful behavior and perpetuates exploitation.

• AI-driven grooming has become a growing concern, as predators use AI chatbots and avatars to pose as peers, manipulating teens into sharing personal information or images.

• Deepfake technology, which manipulates videos and photos to impersonate individuals, often for bullying, blackmail, or online harassment.

These developments raise important questions about the balance between the benefits of AI and its risks. On one hand, AI holds incredible potential to solve problems and enhance lives. On the other hand, as tools like nudify apps demonstrate, it can also enable new forms of exploitation that laws and safety measures have yet to fully address.

To mitigate these risks, it is essential to educate families, schools, and young people about the ways AI can be misused. Open conversations about online safety, the risks of sharing personal images, and the existence of tools like nudify apps can help reduce vulnerability. Additionally, technology companies must take greater responsibility by improving content detection tools and responding more effectively to reports of abuse. Policymakers also play a role in updating laws to reflect the realities of AI misuse, such as initiatives like the Take It Down Act, which aims to criminalize the sharing of AI-generated explicit content and ensure faster removal from platforms. Schools, too, can create clear protocols to address digital safety concerns and encourage ethical technology use.

AI will continue to evolve, and with it, so will both its benefits and its challenges. Recognizing these issues and taking steps to address them is key to ensuring that technology serves as a positive force in the lives of young people.

📢 Resources and How You Can Help:

• National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
• Learn About the Take It Down Act
• Follow Digital4Good on Social Media to share this critical message