Trailblazing Conference on AI and Child Sexual Abuse

On June 17th, Childhood organized the Stella Polaris Summit - a full-day conference in Stockholm that showcased how artificial intelligence (AI) is used to combat child sexual abuse. The day fostered knowledge sharing, networking, encouraging new collaborations, and promoting AI solutions to protect children. Through the Stella Polaris Summit, Childhood aims to mobilize resources and increase the number of stakeholders focused on combating child sexual abuse.

The Stella Polaris Summit illustrates Childhood's unique ability to unite different industries and expertise with the common goal of preventing child sexual abuse. It is clear that we need to accelerate the use of technology, work together, and embrace various strategies to ensure children's safety. Harnessing the potential of AI to detect and prevent child sexual abuse is crucial to ultimately safeguarding children, says HRH Princess Madeleine, Vice Honorary Chair, World Childhood Foundation, who attended the Stella Polaris Summit. 

150 specially invited guests gathered in Stockholm, and the majority of the sessions were live-streamed to a global audience consisting of civil society organizations, companies, law enforcement agencies, UN organizations, and various networks. 

Among the speakers in panel discussions and research presentations were Staffan Truvé, co-founder and CTO of Recorded Future, Dan Sexton, CTO of the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), Linda Jonsson, researcher and associate professor of social work at Marie Cederschiöld University, Mathias Sundin, editor-in-chief of Warp News, Anders Ynnerman, professor of scientific visualization and program director at Linköping University and WASP, Amy Loutfi, professor in computer science at Örebro University and co-director of WASP, David Jacoby from Unbreached, and more experts in AI, cybersecurity, child protection, and sustainability. 

The summit provided valuable insights from various perspectives, all aimed at finding solutions. I’m very happy that Childhood is driving this forward and I hope that it will inspire others. To address this issue, all industries must take it seriously, push boundaries, and be more aggressive in achieving results. We must ensure this is recognized as a significant threat in cybersecurity moving forward, says Staffan Truvé, co-founder and CTO, Recorded Future. 

The day consisted of sessions that highlighted ethical and legal challenges, AI-generated abuse material, interdisciplinary research projects, the importance of data, how AI can help navigate and analyze darknet forums, and much more. 

One of the many positive outcomes of the summit is that it sparked engaging, at times provoking and controversial discussions. It will be particularly interesting to delve even deeper into these topics in the future, ensuring we are prepared to combat child sexual abuse through cross-sectional collaboration. The summit also highlighted significant gaps between technical and legal perspectives, presenting a unique opportunity for follow-up. This can drive the conversation further, addressing the inflexibility of legislation and fostering much-needed cooperation between the legal and technical domains, says Dan Sexton, CTO, Internet Watch Foundation (IWF). 

You can watch parts of the conference on YouTube

For more information, please contact Charles Mingo Bennström, Communications Manager at the World Childhood Foundation: charles.bennstrom@childhood.org +46 (0) 73-422 04 42. 

Background: AI in the fight against child sexual abuse. 

In recent years, the field of artificial intelligence (AI) has seen explosive development, significantly impacting various sectors. This surge in AI innovation has created a global momentum that inspires hope for solving complex problems. Yet it also stirs fears over potential misuse and ethical implications. 

In order to harness the advancements in artificial intelligence to develop more effective strategies for detecting and preventing child sexual abuse, the Stella Polaris Summit highlighted research, commitments and tools developed in ongoing collaborations and initiatives. Discussions covered a range of AI technologies and applications while also addressing the urgent need to intensify cross-sectorial dialogue and accelerate action. 

Recognizing that the battle against child sexual abuse is a societal challenge which requires the collective effort of diverse stakeholders, we aimed to bring together a broad spectrum of professionals, hoping to bridge the gap between various sectors. 

Stella Polaris is Childhood's hub that unites children's rights and AI to coordinate and intensify AI-related initiatives to combat child sexual abuse. Stella Polaris is funded by the Swedish Postcode Lottery. 

About Childhood

Childhood prevents child sexual abuse. We do this in partnership with passionate pioneers, grassroots organizations, companies, foundations and other actors who share our vision of a world where no child is sexually abused. We invest in innovations, methods and partnerships that strengthen protection and reduce risks for particularly vulnerable groups. We engage in advocacy and increase knowledge and awareness of child sexual abuse. Our mission is to create long-term and sustainable change for children. 
 
Our work is based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and aligned to the Sustainable development goals 5, 16 and 17. We are funded by companies, foundations and private donors. Childhood was founded in 1999 by Queen Silvia.