A number of Big Tech companies have banded together to launch a non-profit group focusing on child safety. The group, which was founded by Roblox, Google, OpenAI, and Discord, is called ROOST. This is short for Robust Open Online Safety Tools.
According to the group’s press release, ROOST aims to provide free, open-source tools for public and private organizations. Specifically, ROOST says it will offer “easy-to-use” tools to help detect child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The group didn’t detail how this tool would work, although it did disclose that it would include large language models (LLMs).
Moreover, the group pledged to make existing safety tools more straightforward.
ROOST is also claiming that it’s partnering with AI foundation model developers in order to build a “community of practice” for these existing tools. This, in turn, will include finding existing gaps in safety processes and giving the organization in question vetted AI datasets.
“Robust Open Online Safety Tools, known as ROOST, addresses a critical need to accelerate innovation in online child safety and AI by providing small companies and nonprofits access to technologies they currently lack,” Eric Schmidt, Founding Partner of ROOST and Chair of the Special Competitive Studies Project, said.
“Starting with a platform focused on child protection, ROOST’s collaborative, open-source approach will foster innovation and make essential infrastructure more transparent, accessible, and inclusive, with the goal of creating a safer internet for everyone.”
ROOST has raised more than $27 million for its first four years of operation. This has come from a variety of philanthropists and other organizations. Ultimately, it looks like ROOST’s journey is going to be a marathon rather than a sprint, but hopefully, it will bring us toward a brighter future.
