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ATHENE researchers have found that AI image generators unintentionally produce images of minors

In a recent study, ATHENE researchers at Fraunhofer SIT have demonstrated that widely used AI image generators produce a significant number of sexualised images of minors, despite explicit instructions to depict adults. As even the unintentional possession of such images can be a criminal offence in Germany, this finding poses a serious legal risk to users.

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New study: ‘From TikTok to Telegram’: What really helps combat disinformation

ATHENE researchers from the PEASEC research group at TU Darmstadt have published a new study: “From TikTok to Telegram: Cross-Platform Efficacy and User Acceptance of Erroneous and Flawless Misinformation Interventions”. The study was presented at this year’s ACM CHI conference. The findings of this study are being incorporated into the ATHENE project CYNTRA. We spoke to one of the researchers involved, Katrin Hartwig, about the findings.

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Launch of the ATHENE HAICC project: People and AI working together to combat cyber threats

The ATHENE project ‘Human-AI Collaboration for Cyber­security’ (HAICC) is investigating how human expertise and AI systems can work together effectively on complex cybersecurity tasks. Studies have shown that simply combining human expertise with AI does not automatically lead to better results.

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Cyber crisis simulation exercises prepare hospitals for emergencies

Cyberattacks on hospitals are among the most serious threat scenarios in the healthcare sector – with immediate consequences for patient care and hospital operations. Fraunhofer SIT, one of the organisations participating in ATHENE, has developed realistic cyber crisis simulation exercises specifically for hospitals, which hospital teams can use to practise responding to emergencies.

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Accepted Papers at Eurocrypt 2026

Several papers co-authored by ATHENE researchers were accepted at this year’s Annual International Conference on the Theory and Applications of Cryptographic Techniques, known as Eurocrypt. The conference is one of the most prestigious and influential conferences worldwide in the field of cryptography. It is part of the International Association for Cryptologic Research (IACR)’s “IACR Flagship Conference” series. Leading cryptographers from academia and industry around the world come together to discuss their latest research findings.

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