Traces of Abuse: How Generative AI Impacts Image-Based Sexual Abuse (IBSA) Investigations

Abstract

The introduction of generative AI (GAI) into the workflow of image-based sexual abuse (IBSA) only worsened the ease of creation and distribution, victimizing more people than ever. We outline how the introduction of generative AI (GAI-IBSA) impacts the creation of traces and the type of reasoning they allow. We illustrate the impact by comparing the forensic traces available in four different IBSA scenarios. We discuss the impacts on the (possibility of) investigation, arguing that the advent of generative AI overall benefits abusers by making perpetration easier, and the perpetrator harder to trace.

Accepted at the "Community Building for Researchers on Generative AI-Facilitated Image-Based Abuse" Workshop at SOUPS 2026