Rather, such solutions are often too strict to accommodate creative content or art expression directly impact the lack of diversity in media. The problem is that these AI systems have been given explicit instructions to be as sensitive as possible in the hopes of filtering out anything similar on any shared public platforms. Those systems are by no means perfect, but they are generally pretty good — particularly in the case of NSFW detection where accuracy rates can exceed 95% (although false positive rate is around ~1%, due to excess conservatism). This is the conservative nature of screening that sometimes mistakenly flags or removes works which are artistic in their creative use, but may contain nudity, provocation.
Case in point, notable instances from 2021 were some classic works of art being banned over social media due to the stringent NSFW AI filtering. Automated systems mistakenly flagged one of the most famous paintings of all time, "The Birth Of Venus" by Sandro Botticelli (shown above), as adult content due to nudity. It also serves as an example of how the rigidity of NSFW AI, in certain instances can censor with collateral damage to artists and educators who rely on these works for academic and creation purposes.
In addition, it is missing the ability for AI to recognize context. Although it is technological wizardry at its finest, these systems also have a notoriously difficult time distinguishing between artful nudity and sexually explicit material such that things get caught in the penalties net even though they are of artistic or educational value. AI, says artist/critic Marina Abramović: "When it is unable to distinguish between the art form and indirect elements in some way related to erotica or porn; there may be a quarantine of the creative process... while human experience understands that this could already limit freedom artistic speech".
These strict filters can also hamper up and coming artists or even content makers using platforms to put their work out. This could include, for example, a digital art piece of abstract naked human form which the AI mistakes as an inappropriate material thereby potentially hiding this inhumane matter from other people and affecting your reputation. This over-censorship could stifle creativity and innovation, with creators changing their work to avoid automated inspection.
In response, some platforms are trying to make their NSFW algorithms even smarter when it comes to art. New approaches are being trialled in the US like better context analysis and innovative machine learning algorithms to enhance content moderation accuracy. The technologies are designed for balance — protecting buyer IP and digital content copyrights overall, while allowing maximal creative freedom on site. DeviantArt implemented a more sophisticated content review process — combining AI and human oversight to help distinguish artwork from explicit material, for example.
But with all of this, the balance between content moderation and artistic freedom still exists. In an evolving world of technology, we need to establish a balance between upholding standards and letting the creative side flourish. The continued struggle is to improve nsfw ai agents without preventing artists and innovators from doing their thing.
NSFW AI systems are good at their jobs protecting the internet from harm, but dampen the ability to share and enjoy creative expression. Acreddition of the fine line in creating these AI technologies is maintained by respecting artistc expression and moderation.