The Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) and the Council of the Baltic Sea States’ Task Force against Trafficking in Human Beings (CBSS-TFTHB) have jointly published the policy brief “Artificial Intelligence and Human Trafficking: Threats, Responses, and Ethical Considerations”.

The policy brief outlines how criminals use AI to enhance all aspects of their activities, from recruitment of victims, the creation of fake profiles, the production of fraudulent documents and identify theft. At the same time, it highlights ways in which AI is employed by anti-trafficking professionals to advance their work. This includes facial recognition to identify victims and perpetrators, the provision of assistance and advice to victims, and gathering and analysis of information at different stages of investigations.

The benefits of AI are accompanied by ethical challenges, such as discriminatory bias, breaches of privacy, and over-reliance on conclusions made by AI. The policy brief stresses that the use of AI should grounded in a human rights-based approach, centred on six principles: accountability, transparency and explainability, fairness and non-discrimination, human oversight, protection of privacy and security, and professional responsibility.

The policy brief draws on insights from the 2025 Council of Europe conference ‘Empowering Change: Technology and Artificial Intelligence in the Fight Against Human Trafficking’, organised under the Maltese Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers, as well as on sources across international organisations, governments and academia.