San Antonio – San Antonio – The trafficking in human beings remains a hidden crisis, with many victims who disappear from their communities and underwent radical changes in appearance.
Lori Wittmeyer, responsible for the admission of box with Search and Support San Antonio, underlined the impact transforming traffic on the victims, saying: “Could change their hair. It could change their body. They could lose weight, or perhaps become malnutrition, then be more swollen. The changes are therefore remarkable.”
The progress of artificial intelligence now allows the creation of digital images that predict what victims might look like today, similar to age progression videos. Wittmeyer explained: “We do the same thing. We look at how their appearance could change.”
This technology brings hope to families, although it is not always precise. “You could pass them in front of them every day and not have an idea of what their appearance was a year or two years ago, even six months ago,” said Wittmeyer.
One of these cases is Jeanie Chavez, a young mother seen for the last time in July of last year, who would have been the victim of the trafficking in human beings. The photos generated by AI show what it could look like today. His daughters wonder: “Why doesn’t mom call them?”
The tool also helps in cases of disappeared people, like that of Cecilia Huerta Gallegos, which disappeared in 2019. A video featuring its resemblance generated by AI: “My story must be heard and shared throughout the world until my children and my beloved family can give me an appropriate burial and I can finally be able to be in peace.”
Her sister shared the emotional impact of the video saying: “It’s difficult. It’s difficult. When I saw the video, I cried. I am like, I can’t believe that she is talking and telling her story.”
Bexar’s County Sheriff’s Bureau explores AI technology designed to protect young people from sexual exploitation, aimed at drawing attention to these critical cases.