AI-powered 'nudify' apps driving deadly wave of digital blackmail; kids in danger

AFTER a Kentucky teenager died by suicide this year, his parents discovered he had received threatening texts demanding $3 000 to suppress an AI-generated nude image of him.

- AFP

The tragedy underscores how so-called sextortion scams targeting children are growing around the world, particularly with the rapid proliferation of “nudify” apps - AI tools that digitally strip off clothing or generate sexualised imagery.

Elijah Heacock, 16, was just one of thousands of American minors targeted by such digital blackmail, which has spurred calls for more action from tech platforms and regulators.

His parents told US media that the text messages ordered him to pay up or an AI-generated nude photo would be sent to his family and friends.

“The people who are after our children are well organised,” John Burnett, the boy's father, said in a CBS News interview.

“They are well financed, and they are relentless. They don't need the photos to be real; they can generate whatever they want, and then they use it to blackmail the child.”