The Conversation Around AI and Human Trafficking

The case for AI’s use

Trafficking & Victim Identification Online

AI is being utilized to support law enforcement and organizations in identifying instances of human trafficking. AI’s image recognition and language processing scans online ads and social media for signs of exploitation. AI can scan faces in those ads and cross-reference them with online databases, including law enforcement databases, to quickly identify victims of exploitation. This helps law enforcement identify and then track down the source of the ad to find and assist victims.

Today, programs like Thorn’s Spotlight use AI to do just that. Their program is leveraging technology to analyze online prostitution and child sexual abuse material, aiding in the quicker identification of young victims.

AI facial recognition can also be implemented in high-traffic areas frequented by traffickers to help identify both missing persons and traffickers who may be using public transport, such as border crossings, bus stations, and airports.

Lastly, AI can be used to identify known traffickers who may try to groom and traffic their victims using fake social media profiles. 

Predictive Analytics

AI is utilized to identify patterns in data, such as travel records, hotel stays, or phone call data, to detect and predict suspicious behavior more quickly. This can help law enforcement promptly analyze the most frequented trafficking routes throughout vast cities where it is easier for traffickers to move without detection. Law enforcement can help focus their efforts on specific areas, narrowing down popular trafficking routes.

Information Processing and Reporting Systems

AI tools assist law enforcement by processing vast amounts of evidence more efficiently. AI can sort through online chats, call records, photos, video, text, and email evidence to identify patterns or to find the critical information.

Part of assessing information includes calls from human trafficking hotlines. AI helps strengthen online reporting by assisting responders to gather initial information quickly, even providing instant translation for those who speak other languages. The system also helps pull relevant information, enabling responders to better understand the situation.

Concerns with AI’s usage

Insufficient data leads to weak solutions

Like any other area where AI is being used, there are concerns that although AI can do some good, the risks outweigh the potential benefits. One of the leading concerns with using AI is how it interprets and collects data around trafficking victims.¹ Some trafficking survivors and legal experts have long argued that research on human trafficking is usually incomplete, skewed, or reflects historical biases on race and economic status.² This raises the argument that training AI with data that has these biases would fail to identify and benefit all victims of trafficking accurately.

Some individuals worry that information about victims coerced into illegal activities by traffickers, such as illegal border crossing, theft, and drug smuggling, might be used against them instead of providing assistance.

There are also concerns about AI’s data translation and a general lack of transparency in how it processes information. ³ Those involved in training AI systems often struggle to explain the data processing, leaving many unsure if AI can avoid the biases that humans can more easily identify and address. Just like teachers expect to see work shown on a math problem, people want to know that AI uses the correct methods to get results. This is important because if AI cannot process data appropriately, it could lead to an inappropriate or ineffective response.

Privacy Concerns

Since the rise of AI, online privacy has become a major concern, specifically regarding systems that identify trafficking victims. AI analyzes social media to identify patterns of trafficking language, raising questions about how AI may compromise online privacy. Issues include data collection without consent, unchecked surveillance, and potential biases, as well as risks like data leakage and exfiltration. Additionally, insecure AI systems could be exploited by traffickers to locate victims or avoid law enforcement.

AI is limited to places with technology

AI utilizes public street cameras, security footage access, and suspicious online activity. But AI can’t do much when none of these things are present. Trafficking is typically underground, out of sight of public security cameras. AI is limited to assisting in urban settings where surveillance is available and law enforcement can access all of these systems.

AI’s Future in Trafficking and Exploitation

Predicting the full impact of AI on human trafficking prevention is challenging. AI should not be a standalone solution but rather a tool to assist in the fight. For AI to be effective, its limitations must be addressed, and systems should be developed with transparency and reliable data. Protecting information and establishing clear limitations on AI access is crucial, along with providing users control over their data.

The good news is that steps towards these protections are happening, thanks to recent legislation in the U.S.. The “Take It Down” is a bipartisan bill that was signed into law on May 19, 2025. The law “prohibits the nonconsensual online publication of intimate visual depictions of individuals, both authentic and computer-generated, and requires certain online platforms to promptly remove such depictions upon receiving notice of their existence.” This law is the first federal legislation to prevent the misuse of AI, as many states have already enacted similar laws.

This is a crucial first step, and the hope is that with federal laws in place in the US, it will open the door to other protections from AI abuse down the road and encourage other countries to enact similar laws as well.