Applications that claim to remove clothing from images using artificial intelligence, often advertised as “free,” have emerged. These applications typically function by analyzing image data and attempting to reconstruct a version of the image without the depicted clothing. An example would be a program promoted online that purports to remove swimwear from a beach photograph.
The proliferation of such applications raises significant ethical and legal concerns. These include the potential for misuse, the creation of non-consensual intimate imagery, and violations of privacy. Historically, the concept of digitally altering images has existed for some time, but the accessibility and purported automation offered by AI amplify the risks associated with such alterations.