Texas Council on Family Violence CEO Gloria Aguilera Terry.
What you probably already know: As artificial intelligence begins to reshape nearly every aspect of society, a new national group is working to ensure the technology doesn't put domestic violence survivors at greater risk. More than 1 in 3 U.S. women have experienced sexual violence, physical violence or stalking by an intimate partner during their lifetime, says Gloria Aguilera Terry, CEO of the Texas Council on Family Violence (TCFV). TCFV has partnered with Amazon and EndTAB (End Tech-Enabled Abuse) to form the national AI Safety Council, which brings together leaders in domestic violence survivor advocacy, technology, education, law enforcement and public policy to provide front-line perspective and guidance. The group’s mission is to ensure that the safety and support of domestic violence survivors are integral to AI development and that their voices are heard.
Why it matters: “Tech-enabled abuse is not new. AI offers super tools with which to do it,” Terry says. “We want to understand, recognize, and diminish the risks.” Safety and privacy are core concerns to survivors and their advocates. For example, abusers can use AI to create false images of a survivor as a method of coercive control and intimidation or use technology to track the location of survivors. Other abuses include digital stalking, impersonation, and online harassment. The council is developing a code of ethics and a policy brief that reflect values including keeping survivors safe, vigilance against bias, and protecting human dignity and worth.
What it means: “Humanity always comes first,” Terry says. “We want to make sure AI expands human connection, not diminishes it. AI can enhance human capacity, but it can never replace human wisdom. We acknowledge that technology will change, but our values won’t.” The group is also exploring ways technology can help improve survivor services, expand accessibility and streamline safety resources. One prototype application would help survivors find fake images of themselves online and request their removal in one place, rather than having to do so for multiple sites. Another app in development uses simulated scenarios to prepare crisis-line workers for real-life calls.
What happens next: Another part of the council’s mission is preventing potential AI harm to human connections. Young people, in particular, may mistake a connection with AI as a model for human relationships. “It’s very seductive,” Terry says. “How can we use AI to help counteract this and show them what healthy relationships should be like?” The council’s creation is the evolution of TCFV’s ongoing partnership with Amazon. They have worked together on a program to give Ring cameras with free subscriptions to survivors to help keep them safe. The program, which started in Texas, is now national in scope and has provided 50,000 cameras to survivors.
