How NCOSE Uses AI Technology To Combat Human Trafficking
By Movieguide® Contributor
There have been many headlines about the dangers of AI, or artificial intelligence, but the National Center on Sexual Exploitation has found a way to use the software to combat human trafficking.
The NCOSE reported on a chatbot named Gracie, who has exchanged more than 54,000 messages with people looking for access to “prostituted persons or sex trafficked children.” The chatbot has also reported more than 6,000 potential predators to law enforcement agencies.
“Every conversation that a would-be sex buyer has with Gracie is a conversation that he/she isn’t having with a real minor, and some of the conversations will result in a buyer being brought to justice,” said Jamie Caruthers, the director of Demand Reduction and Policy at Street Grace, the organization behind Gracie.
AI technology has meant organizations like Street Grace and the Epik Project are able to intercept messages from would-be predators and alert local law enforcement to these people.
NCOSE published a report on both the dangers and benefits of AI, admitting that there are definite risks involved for young people.
“Despite these concerning developments, the potential of technology-for-good is significant and very exciting,” the report went on. “Technology is here to stay — however, a human-AI partnership that is guided by the principles of transparency, justice and fairness, non-maleficence, and responsible use is what must be pursued and embraced.”
Many public figures have also joined the fight against sex trafficking, including football star Tim Tebow. Movieguide® previously reported:
Tim Tebow penned an emotional op-ed for Fox News about his personal connection to human trafficking—and why he’s so determined to fight it.
The former NFL quarterback detailed how his father “purchased four young girls” while on a trip overseas. But instead of purchasing the girls for his own gain as thousands of others do every day, he did it to free them from a life of trafficking.
At the time, Tebow said he was “completely unaware such a transaction was even possible.”
“People buy groceries. Shoes. Annual passes to Disney World. They don’t buy other people,” he wrote. “But I had heard him correctly. My dad had opened up his wallet and bought as many girls as he could with the cash he had on hand.”
When his father returned home, Tebow said there wasn’t a safe home to take the girls to, so they built one.
“Honestly, we weren’t prepared. We never saw that moment coming. But over the years, that single moment in time – a moment where one man took a stand for what was right – was the beginning of a ripple effect still in motion today,” he explained.
With many questions still on Tebow’s mind about how human trafficking “got so out of hand,” his foundation, the Tim Tebow Foundation (TTF), is stepping up to the plate to help combat this evil.
Since 2013, the TTF has been fighting against human trafficking. However, Tebow has kept their efforts under wraps to help victims, and rescue organizations working on the ground, feel safe and secure.
Now, he’s ready to go public with this fight.
“We cannot stand silently and passively watch as evil rages on,” he wrote. “It’s time for Christians around the world to take a stand, to raise our voices and say no more. No more will we allow girls and boys, many of whom are just children, to be bought and sold as if they were just products for someone else’s personal gain.”
He continued, “Every person on this earth is created in the image of God – uniquely, beautifully, and perfectly. Their value is priceless, and they are not for sale.”
Tebow admitted that he, too, gets overwhelmed when he thinks about how big this problem is. But he ended his essay with this truth:
“The God who created the universe, rose from the grave and defeated death once and for all is the same One who is fighting even now for the 40 million trapped in slavery around the world,” he wrote.
“Nothing is too big for Him. Nothing. He doesn’t need us, but He chooses to use us.”
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
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Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
