00:01I cannot just say that I want to go out. They have guns. They can shoot you.
00:09Globally, around 50 million people are estimated to be trapped in modern slavery.
00:14And AI is making it easier for traffickers to find and exploit new victims.
00:18The fact that there is so much AI tools available now serves like an accelerator.
00:24But AI isn't only helping criminals.
00:26Police and investigators are using the same technology to identify traffickers and track their networks.
00:32So, let's look at both sides.
00:33How traffickers use AI to target you and how AI can be a tool against trafficking.
00:38Plus, what can you do to protect yourself?
00:41How AI fuels human trafficking.
00:43Imagine someone offers you a well-paid job abroad.
00:46The recruiter sounds professional.
00:48The salary looks great.
00:50Everything seems legitimate.
00:51But when you arrive, your documents are taken away and you're forced to work.
00:55In construction, the sex trade, or online scam operations.
00:59AI now lets traffickers produce convincing fake job ads cheaper and faster than ever before.
01:04One of the people who fell into this trap was Aaron.
01:07He was struggling to find work in southern Africa when a tech company in Thailand offered him a high-salary
01:12dream job.
01:13I thought everything was legit until I got to Bangkok.
01:17We were supposed to go to a hotel that is, like, maybe 10 minutes away from the airport.
01:23But we drove in a different direction.
01:26Aaron and several others were taken to a heavily guarded compound known as KK Park.
01:30There are thousands of people who were reportedly forced to carry out online scams.
01:35Aaron's story is far from being an isolated case.
01:37AI tools help generate convincing messages and job offers in almost any language.
01:42Plus, they are great at personalizing them.
01:44Traffickers blast out messages to thousands of potential victims and make each one feel personal.
01:49The fact that job announcements can be falsified but appear as serious ones.
01:57The fact that you can reach out to an unknown mass of people but also address them individually at the
02:03same time via AI tools.
02:06It expands the room where traffickers can recruit almost endlessly.
02:10And it doesn't stop there.
02:12Deepfake technology allows criminals to create entirely fake identities to contact you on social media or dating apps.
02:19In some cases, AI-generated intimate images are even used to blackmail people.
02:23But AI is also becoming a powerful tool against traffickers.
02:27AI can be used to scan the internet, hunting for red flags.
02:31What we see is so-called web crawlers that would search automatically for certain patterns that traffickers would use.
02:39Like, for instance, the same mobile number.
02:41AI tools can be used to scan trafficking-related images for subtle clues, then compare them against other images online.
02:48That can help pinpoint where a photo was taken.
02:51Banks are already using AI systems to flag suspicious transaction patterns linked to money laundering, which is a big part
02:57of trafficking.
02:58After an arrest, AI-assisted analysis of phones can help investigators reconstruct a timeline.
03:03And AI can also help trafficked victims directly.
03:07AI-powered chatbots like Janice now offer anonymous support and can break down language barriers for people seeking help.
03:13I'm aware that for a couple of months now, KOK is receiving increasingly more reports on trafficking situations by the
03:22individuals themselves,
03:23which before were like more or less like a few grams of words, but now it's almost a file.
03:30Some programs even use AI to train people to recognize AI-driven scams before they happen.
03:36So, before you accept a job, verify the company independently.
03:39Check whether it has a physical office.
03:41Speak with current employees through independent channels.
03:44If in doubt, consult your country's embassy or labor authorities.
03:48If the promises seem to be too good to be true, they probably are not true.
03:53The tools used by traffickers are becoming more sophisticated.
03:57But your best defense is still to be alert and cautious.
04:00Take your time.
04:00Verify before you trust.
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