Swedish government explores AI tools to identify child abuse victims

The Swedish government will launch an investigation into using AI-powered facial recognition to identify victims of child sexual abuse in online material, SVT Nyheter reports. The move follows a documentary revealing how Norwegian police already employ such technology to accelerate victim identification.

Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer (Moderate Party) confirmed the plan, stating there is “an enormous need for tools that can effectively address this widespread problem.” Current Swedish police methods for identifying victims in abuse material are time-consuming, while Norwegian authorities can complete similar tasks in seconds using automated systems.

The proposed AI tools would cross-reference images with biometric data from passport and ID card registers—similar to Norway’s approach. However, Strömmer acknowledged that existing data protection laws currently block implementation, requiring additional legal amendments.

“We see that we need further legislative changes to use this data for identifying crime victims,” he told SVT. The minister emphasized that AI would assist rather than replace human judgment, with final identifications verified by officers to prevent errors.

The initiative follows Uppdrag Granskning‘s documentary Jakten (“The Hunt”), which exposed gaps in Sweden’s ability to identify child abuse victims compared to Norway. No timeline has been set for the investigation, but Strömmer affirmed the government’s readiness “to take the next step.”