‘Matilda' star Mara Wilson speaks out after terrifying AI misuse of her image

Mara Wilson has shared a painful story from her past as she warns about growing online abuse of AI.

The former child star said that seeing her picture used in child sexual abuse scam was a “living nightmare” that still haunts her even today.

Now 38, Wilson wrote about her horrific experience in an essay for The Guardian which was published on January 17.

However, she explained that while she was working as a child actor, she always felt protected on film sets.

“From ages 5 to 13, I was a child actor. And while as of late we’ve heard many horror stories about the abusive things that happened to child actors behind the scenes, I always felt safe while filming,” she said.

But the actress revealed that the real harm came when she went visible in public eye.

Wilson said her image was misused online very long before she reached high school, “I’d been featured on fetish websites and Photoshopped into pornography. Grown men sent me creepy letters.”

She went on adding that spotlight and fame gave all the strangers easy access to reach out to her which made the situation even worse.

Wilson described the experience “deeply upsetting” and left lasting emotional scars.

“It was a painful, violating experience; a living nightmare I hoped no other child would have to go through,” she said.

Now today, Mara has this fear of AI technology and she thinks that AI is making this kind of abuse faster and more widespread.

“It is now infinitely easier for any child whose face has been posted on the internet to be sexually exploited,” she warned.