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AI-generated 'poverty porn' fake images being used by aid agencies

theguardian.com

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Re: AI-generated 'poverty porn' fake images being used by aid agencies

#51

Post by Nextgrid »

jstummbillig wrote: post #22

Ughhh... really, "poverty porn"? So it's a problem when aid agencies competing for resources towards a mostly sensible goal do it – but when everyone else fakes images, it's not, because... we didn't expect decent behavior anyway? Fantastic.

Most business transactions involve the delivery of some good/service. You will generally know whether you've been scammed or not.

With aid agencies and donations you're often entirely reliant on their word as to whether your donation has actually made it to the cause they claim to support. If they're going to be using deceptive imagery, what else could they be deceptive about?

Re: AI-generated 'poverty porn' fake images being used by aid agencies

#52

Post by lotsofpulp »

jstanley wrote: post #40
DiabloD3 wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

TBF, I just assume everyone is lying (either first hand or second) and its on them to prove to me they're not. Hasn't failed me yet.

It has failed you in ways you can't see, because you've driven away the most reliable people by showing them upfront that you don't trust them. I assume everyone is telling the truth until they've given me a reason not to assume that, and I'd say that hasn't failed me yet.

This is too simplistic. There are varying levels of trust for myriad interactions.

You can trust someone to drive properly and not hit you.

You can trust someone to not rob you as you walk by them.

You can simultaneously not trust them enough to give them money if they ask for it without sufficient proof. Or not trust them enough to invite them into your home.

Re: AI-generated 'poverty porn' fake images being used by aid agencies

#53

Post by rdtsc »

> included AI-generated testimony from a Burundian woman describing being raped by three men and left to die in 1993 […] has been taken down, as we believed it shows improper use of AI, and may pose risks regarding information integrity

It’s one thing to create an image but creating a whole fake testimony is even worse.

Notice they just felt that the tool was evolving “too fast” and it didn’t feel real enough. Once the tool is better, they’ll have no issues with fake testimonies.

Re: AI-generated 'poverty porn' fake images being used by aid agencies

#54

Post by umvi »

gampleman wrote: post #49

I don't know how to feel about this entirely. Like I get the whole AI generated images bad angle, but on the other hand as someone running a charity I can see the benefit of not wasting donation money on sending a professional photographer to an actual slum and paying probably tens of thousands of dollars to get good quality photos and instead getting usable pictures for free-ish. When running a charity you need to s…

If you don't get real photos though, how do you know you aren't misrepresenting the people you are aiding? You could very well be exaggerating their plight which will make your donors feel scammed if the truth comes out.

Re: AI-generated 'poverty porn' fake images being used by aid agencies

#55

Post by stinos »

SkyeCA wrote: post #28
A4ET8a8uTh0_v2 wrote: post #6

I was thinking about it, because wife was telling me story from work, where a woman was scammed with AI generated stuff and her colleague was a little too nonchalant about it ( 'it is on her to do her due diligence' ). And it made me annoyed. How can you possibly make due diligence when everyone around you is incentivized to lie? We do have a concept of fraud, but advertising seems to be able to move around its edges…

> How can you possibly make due diligence when everyone around you is incentivized to lie? You can't and the correct response is a total lack of trust by default because that's the easiest way to protect yourself. They really are out to get you(r money).

> You can't and the correct response is a total lack of trust by default because that's the easiest way to protect yourself.

Rather off-topic, but it's funny how this principle applies in the exact same way when it comes to traffic for instance. It is unfortunate it has to be like that, but not trusting any other traffic and assuming they can at any point do the thing you'd least expect them to do is just safer. Especially when e.g. cycling this saved my from injuries or worse more than just a couple of times. And that's even in a country with relatively high numbers of cyclists.

Re: AI-generated 'poverty porn' fake images being used by aid agencies

#56

Post by kedean »

gampleman wrote: post #49

I don't know how to feel about this entirely. Like I get the whole AI generated images bad angle, but on the other hand as someone running a charity I can see the benefit of not wasting donation money on sending a professional photographer to an actual slum and paying probably tens of thousands of dollars to get good quality photos and instead getting usable pictures for free-ish. When running a charity you need to s…

Think about it from the perspective of a possible benefactor. If they're being lured in with these images at all, there's clearly an emotional element to it. If they start realizing the images weren't real at all, there's a very good chance they will stop donating because you have lied to them. The crux of their support was based on falsehoods.

Personally, I'd prefer donating to an organization that isn't trying to use "sad" images to gut-punch me in the first place. There's a reason the "Arms Of An Angel" ASCPA ads are a laughingstock.

Re: AI-generated 'poverty porn' fake images being used by aid agencies

#57

Post by amelius »

DiabloD3 wrote: post #16
A4ET8a8uTh0_v2 wrote: post #6

I was thinking about it, because wife was telling me story from work, where a woman was scammed with AI generated stuff and her colleague was a little too nonchalant about it ( 'it is on her to do her due diligence' ). And it made me annoyed. How can you possibly make due diligence when everyone around you is incentivized to lie? We do have a concept of fraud, but advertising seems to be able to move around its edges…

TBF, I just assume everyone is lying (either first hand or second) and its on them to prove to me they're not. Hasn't failed me yet.

Wouldn't it be better to be part of a community that you can trust?

Sounds like you have failed to find it, and are now just coping.

Re: AI-generated 'poverty porn' fake images being used by aid agencies

#58

Post by pessimizer »

A4ET8a8uTh0_v2 wrote: post #31
sigmoid10 wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you can be beguiled by random images from an unknown solicitor to make rash financial decisions, the root of the problem is probably sitting in front of the screen. "A fool and his money are soon parted" is not a new thing, it's just easier to accomplish than ever before thanks to the dopamine conditioned internet and AI content generation. These victims don't need new legal layers of trust, they need a social med…

Sigh. People will adjust. My point, and a subtle one at that, was that it does not bode well for the society of low trust ahead.

What people say to respond to this critique is that high-trust people were always a problem. Low-trust societies have procedures in place that nobody ever considers just skipping because we're both good guys and you're from Boston, too, right?

High-trust societies are self-regulating scammers paradises. Filled with people citing Occam's Razor, and affinity fraud. Even worse, for minorities the procedures never get dropped, but they're still expected (pressured) to drop procedures to fit in, so they end up highly unequal societies.

Re: AI-generated 'poverty porn' fake images being used by aid agencies

#59

Post by th2o2o3409980f »

PLAN International is egregious in doing this kind of stuff.

I've never ever heard of this charity in India, but if you've been to Tokyo these guys have posters of like the worst stereotypes of India you can think of, in order to milk money.

Gutter scum. These NGO scam-artists are half the reason these countries remain poor - it's in their interests that this doesn't change, which is why they NEVER advocate structural change.

Eg. None of these people will talk about caste till the cows come home, but will not utter a single word against the systemic British era policies that exclude the majority of non-Anglophones out of education and ergo a way out of poverty. Almost like they want to ensure that colonial policies that suit them don't go against them.

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