Tech Leaders Launch ROOST to Revolutionize Online Safety with Open-Source Tools

Google, OpenAI, Roblox, and Discord join forces to create free safety tools aimed at enhancing child protection and content moderation in the AI era.

ROOST, or Robust Open Online Safety Tools, is a nonprofit initiative designed to provide free, open-source tools for online safety, particularly focusing on child protection.
The organization has raised over $27 million to fund its first four years, with support from Google, OpenAI, Roblox, Discord, and philanthropic groups like the Knight Foundation.
ROOST aims to tackle challenges in detecting and reporting child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and other harmful content by leveraging AI-powered tools and making them accessible to smaller organizations.
The initiative will include tools for content moderation, such as AI models for detecting inappropriate behavior in audio and text, and infrastructure to support human moderators.
Despite its promise, some major platforms like Meta and Snap are not currently part of the initiative, and the project will take time to yield widespread results.