AI-generated ‘poverty porn’ fake images being used by aid agencies : Shared by Tom McDermott

The use of AI imagery by aid agencies is deeply concerning in that it can undermine the reality in which people actually live, and fail to show their active roles in addressing problems they face.  It is good to hear that some NGOs are now setting out their own guidelines.  In the past UNICEF has been a leader in helping agencies to agree on standards for how children should be depicted.  'Poverty porn' is not a new problem, but it seems that it may be back with the widespread use of digital imagery.  I hope UNICEF could again take the lead in setting standards for the aid community.

Tom 

AI-generated ‘poverty porn’ fake images being used by aid agencies
Author: Joanna Plucinska
The Guardian — Click here for the article: 

Summary
Global development and aid organisations — including UN Peacekeeping — are increasingly using images generated by artificial intelligence (AI) to depict extreme poverty, abused children, or survivors of sexual violence in their campaigns, raising serious ethical concerns. UN Peacekeeping acknowledged that one such AI-generated video had been taken down after being judged an “improper use of AI” posing risks to information integrity.

These synthetic images are proliferating on stock-photo platforms such as Adobe Stock and Freepik, often labelled under keywords like “poverty” or “refugee camp,” driven by cost reductions and avoidance of consent issues tied to photographing real people. Experts argue that this imagery heavily replicates and reinforces racialised stereotypes, misrepresenting the dignity and reality of affected populations in places such as Africa and India. Examples include children with empty plates, cracked barren earth, or a white volunteer interacting with black children in an “African village” setting.

Some NGOs and aid agencies are now introducing internal guidelines restricting the use of AI-generated depictions of children and vulnerable people, but oversight remains inconsistent and many such visuals continue to circulate unlabelled.

Quotes
“All over the place, people are using it … some are actively using AI imagery, and others, we know they’re experimenting at least.” — Noah Arnold, Fairpicture.

“They are so racialised. They should never even let those be published because it’s like the worst stereotypes about Africa, or India, or you name it.” — Arsenii Alenichev.

“The video in question … has been taken down … we believe it shows improper use of AI, and may pose risks regarding information integrity.” — UN Peacekeeping spokesperson.