Generative AI is enabling a tidal wave of nonconsensual intimate imagery and child sexual abuse material. Social media algorithms are exacerbating online harassment and the doxxing of rape survivors. Now, humanoid robots are making the offline world more unsafe for girls and women.
Two teen boys are under investigation by German authorities after allegations that they used a walking bot to grope and harass a 16-year-old girl while she was in public. Police in Cologne confiscated the robot today (Oct. 13) after receiving reports over the weekend. Emergency services were also dispatched to the scene, the Associated Press reported.
The authorities haven't yet charged the boys with a crime, but told the press that they are being treated as suspects.
The alleged perpetrators were two teens themselves, aged 16 and 19. Witnesses said they appeared to be controlling the 4-foot-tall robot, decorated in human clothing and jewelry, nearby. In video clips that purport to show the two teens, the robot is being steered through busy streets to intentionally bump into women as part of what appears to be a livestream. The robot's behavior is routinely played for laughs in the clips.
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Investigators are evaluating whether or not the robot was programmed to act in such a manner, or if the technology was maneuvered in real time. The answer to that question may determine what kind of legal repercussions the teens face in what is considered uncharted legal waters. Cologne authorities told the Associated Press they were not aware of humanoid robots ever being used for public harassment of this kind.
Popular live streamers have come under fire in recent years for profiting off of the public harassment of strangers, service workers, and women, in particular. Many have used novel technology, such as Meta's AI-powered Ray-Ban glasses, to secretly record interactions for views. It's only recently that platforms have begun to crack down on the viral trend.