Two Australian men were billed to a criminal group that distributes artificial intelligence-generated child abuse images during a global surgery.
The 38-year-old NSW man and a 31-year-old Queensland man were arrested along with a total of 25 people related to an investigation into sexual exploitation of children.
Danish citizens were arrested in November after AI allegedly produced child abuse material and was charged to users to watch it through an online subscription service.
The Australian Federal Police have launched an investigation into allegations that two Australian men were subscribers to the site.
The police attack allegedly revealed child abuse material on mobile phones and other electronic devices at each man's home.
Operation Cumberland was one of the first cases involving AI-generated child sex abuse material, led by Danish police along with Europol and law enforcement agencies in 19 countries.
Authorities are dealing with more AI-generated materials, and AFP Det Action Supt Supt Kurt Wesche said that whether or not the images of child abuse are genuine makes it difficult for police to exercise.
“The children depicted in this material are not realistic, but these criminal networks are still involved in the sexual exploitation of children,” he said.
“In Australia, creating, owning or sharing content depicting the abuse of someone under the age of 18 is a criminal offence. It's child abuse material, whether it's “real” or not. ”
A total of 273 suspects were identified via a global investigation, with more arrests expected.
