Online brothels, sex robots, simulated rape: AI is ushering in a new age of violence against women | Laura Bates

The rate of global investment in AI is rocketing, as companies and countries invest in what has been described as a new arms race.

The trend has been dubbed an AI frenzy’, with the components described by analysts as the “new gold or oil” Everyone is getting in on the act, and politicians are desperate to stake their countries’ claim as global leaders in AI development.

Safeguards, equitable access and sustainability are falling by the wayside.

Nearly nine in ten women polled in a 2020 Economist study said they restricted their online activity in some way as a result of cyber-harassment, hacking, online stalking and doxing.

71% of men aged 18 to 24 say they use AI weekly , while only 59% of women in the same age range do so.

So long as men remain the main users of AI , the technology will be designed to cater to their preferences.