# Analyzing the AI Nudification Application Ecosystem

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2411.09751 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2411.09751/

## Key facts

- Cited by 10 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 9 of its 69 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 14 Nov 2024.

## Builds on (most cited first, 9 of 9)

- [Generative Image Inpainting with Contextual Attention](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1801.07892/) (2018)
- [On Face Segmentation, Face Swapping, and Face Perception](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1704.06729/) (2017)
- [A Resilient and Accessible Distribution-Preserving Watermark for Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.07710/) (2023)
- [Generative AI Misuse: A Taxonomy of Tactics and Insights from Real-World Data](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.13843/) (2024)
- [False News On Social Media: A Data-Driven Survey](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1902.07539/) (2019)
- [Non-Consensual Synthetic Intimate Imagery: Prevalence, Attitudes, and Knowledge in 10 Countries](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.01721/) (2024)
- ["Violation of my body:" Perceptions of AI-generated non-consensual (intimate) imagery](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.05520/) (2024)
- [Protection or punishment? relating the design space of parental control apps and perceptions about them to support parenting for online safety](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2109.05347/) (2021)
- [Understanding Help-Seeking and Help-Giving on Social Media for Image-Based Sexual Abuse](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.12161/) (2024)

## Built on by (most cited first, 10 of 10)

- [AI Generated Child Sexual Abuse Material -- What's the Harm?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2510.02978/) (2025)
- ["Unlimited Realm of Exploration and Experimentation": Methods and Motivations of AI-Generated Sexual Content Creators](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2601.21028/) (2026)
- [What if AI systems weren't chatbots?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2605.07896/) (2026)
- [The Algorithmic Gaze of Image Quality Assessment: An Audit and Trace Ethnography of the LAION-Aesthetics Predictor](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2601.09896/) (2026)
- [Generative Propaganda](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.19147/) (2025)
- [How Generative AI Empowers Attackers and Defenders Across the Trust & Safety Landscape](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2601.06033/) (2025)
- [Characterizing Resource Sharing Practices on Underground Internet Forum Synthetic Non-Consensual Intimate Image Content Creation Communities](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.12190/) (2026)
- [From Celebrities to Anyone: Characterizing AI Nudification Content, Technology, and Community Dynamics on 4chan](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2606.27234/) (2026)
- [Position: Preventing AI-Generated CSAM Necessitates New Approaches to AI Safety](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2607.05407/) (2026)
- [Position: AI/ML Deepfake Research is Misaligned with AI-Generated Non-Consensual Intimate Imagery (AIG-NCII)](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2607.18263/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Given a source image of a clothed person (an image subject), AI-based nudification applications can produce nude (undressed) images of that person. Moreover, not only do such applications exist, but there is ample evidence of the use of such applications in the real world and without the consent of an image subject. Still, despite the growing awareness of the existence of such applications and their potential to violate the rights of image subjects and cause downstream harms, there has been no systematic study of the nudification application ecosystem across multiple applications. We conduct such a study here, focusing on 20 popular and easy-to-find nudification websites. We study the positioning of these web applications (e.g., finding that most sites explicitly target the nudification of women, not all people), the features that they advertise (e.g., ranging from undressing-in-place to the rendering of image subjects in sexual positions, as well as differing user-privacy options), and their underlying monetization infrastructure (e.g., credit cards and cryptocurrencies). We believe this work will empower future, data-informed conversations -- within the scientific, technical, and policy communities -- on how to better protect individuals' rights and minimize harm in the face of modern (and future) AI-based nudification applications. Content warning: This paper includes descriptions of web applications that can be used to create synthetic non-consensual explicit AI-created imagery (SNEACI). This paper also includes an artistic rendering of a user interface for such an application.