Detecting inappropriate material used to train AI image generation models

05 February 2026, Version 1

Abstract

Generative AI models, for example diffusion models, have emerged as state-of-the-art methods for generating novel images described by a text prompt. Open-source AI models can furthermore be fine-tuned to produce images similar to a given dataset of images. However, bad actors may seek to use illegal images to fine-tune a model so that it produces inappropriate and harmful images. We investigate various methods for detecting whether such images have been used to fine-tune a given diffusion model. This task raises two key challenges: (1) Images from a suspicious model should not be produced. (2) Any prompts yielding inappropriate images may be obfuscated. We propose a multi-layered framework to overcome these challenges. We combine embedding analysis, trajectory classification, parameter inspections, and neural network encoding in a promising framework, and suggest that controlled experiments should be conducted to test this strategy in future work.

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