Leveraging Blockchain for Ethical AI: Mitigating Digital Threats and Strengthening Societal Resilience

The rise of online activities and the increasing prevalence of artificial intelligence (AI) in socio-technical systems have brought about both significant opportunities and ethical challenges. Among these challenges, one of the most relevant is addressing digital threats such as sextortion (a form of coercion and sexual exploitation) that disproportionately affect vulnerable groups, such as minors. This position paper advocates the integration of blockchain technology into AI systems to enhance trust, transparency, and ethical governance in combating such threats. The paper argues that, by adhering to ethical guidelines, the specific integration of blockchain operations that bring about strong decentralization, immutability, and auditability into AI may be better managed. Through a literature review and using the specific case study of sextortion, we propose a set of guidelines that ensure secure data management, empower victims, and support law enforcement efforts. This set of guidelines aims to strengthen societal resilience by ensuring privacy, security, and transparency in AI-driven systems and using technology ’for good.’ The paper explores the potential of blockchain-integrated AI in various stages of sextortion mitigation, from prevention through education and early detection to providing immediate support and facilitating secure reporting. Consequently, we put forward the position that blockchain-decentralized AI models integrated with user-controlled data wallets considerably enhance the trust in and transparency of AI models. In this way, the paper proposes that a balance should exist between the innovation potential of blockchain-decentralized AI models versus the ethical implications. The paper highlights the critical intersection of ethical AI development, social resilience, and digital ethics and addresses the complexities of integrating technologies while emphasizing the need for interdisciplinary collaboration and adaptive policy frameworks.