The Scottish and UK governments have been urged to do more to tackle the dangers of Artificial intelligence, with a backbench MSP hitting out at the “slow progress” being made on regulation.

Emma Roddick told The Herald she was particularly anxious about cases where the technology has been used to create sexualised images, particularly in schools.

"We're hearing more and more stories coming out of schools and other places, where people are misusing this technology, very easily, to target people, dehumanise them,” the SNP MSP said.

Ms Roddick will raise her concerns in a Holyrood debate this evening.

Her comments come as a man was sentenced to 18 years in prison for using AI to create child abuse images using photographs of real children.

Hugh Nelson, 27, from Bolton, was convicted of 16 child sexual abuse offences in August, after an investigation by Greater Manchester police (GMP).

It is the first prosecution of its kind in the UK.

The police said Nelson used a computer programme with an AI function to transform “normal” images of children into sexual abuse imagery.

Paedophiles would commission him to create the images, some supplying photographs of children.


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Ms Roddick’s motion states that “policymakers have a duty to seek to understand how it works, what the dangers are, and how to protect society and vulnerable individuals from harm.”

She told The Herald she was worried about the “slow progress” being made to regulate the now near-ubiquitous technology.

As well as criminal activity, the Highland Island MSP said there were concerns over the impact on the environment, the loss of jobs and the threat to humanity of AI being given military roles and resources.

“We've got questions to answer around minimum income guarantee, protecting people, and what jobs do we need to keep in the hands of humans.”

“A lot of this is going to have to be UK action, and I appreciate that, but I think what I wanted to highlight with this debate was that the Scottish Government needs to be aware of the role that it plays,” Ms Roddick said.

(Image: PA)

“Because obviously there are opportunities with AI. I understand why government and agencies would want to pursue those and want to see how it could help.

“But we also have to make sure that it's properly regulated, and that's a call that's coming from those who are creating AI as well as those who are afraid of it, and what I would like to see as a starter, looking towards what the EU is doing, and looking at can we define what is acceptable use of AI and what is unacceptable and what should be absolutely prohibited?

“Things like behavioural control influence that many models are being trained to exert. “Should AI be allowed to psychologically profile people and try to target them with modelling that's aimed at changing their beliefs or their habits or their purchasing? I think these are all things that we need to accept are happening and then decide if it's okay.”


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“AI is happening," she added. "You know, I use AI, it's basically impossible not to at this point, my phone's got it as a default so, I see it and I see benefits of it, but it's the same as with anything else, you have to look at the dangers and understand what they are and take preventative action. And I do worry about the slow progress of that.”

The MSP said a clearer understanding of regulations would allow those developing AI models to “know what their own limits are”.

“At the moment, they're operating and seeing how far they can go without knowing whether the government's going to say, ‘Well, hold on. You can't do that'.”

The Scottish Goverment was approached for comment.