Comprehensive Assessment and Analysis for NSFW Content Erasure in Text-to-Image Diffusion models

Die Chen (East China Normal University) · Zhiwen Li (East China Normal University) · Cen Chen (East China Normal University) · Yuexiang Xie (Alibaba Group) · Xiaodan Li (University of Science and Technology of China) · Jinyan Ye (East China Normal University) · Yingda Chen (Alibaba Group) · Yaliang Li (Alibaba)
comprehensive evaluationconcept erasure methodscontent safetycreative potentialcritical areaeffective applicationempirical observationsfull-pipeline toolkitgeneralization capabilitiesnot-safe-for-work contentreal-world scenariosresearch and developmentsafe deploymentsystematic studytext-to-image diffusion modelsunderlying mechanisms

Text-to-image diffusion models have gained widespread application across various domains, demonstrating remarkable creative potential. However, the strong generalization capabilities of diffusion models can inadvertently lead to the generation of not-safe-for-work (NSFW) content, posing significant risks to their safe deployment. While several concept erasure methods have been proposed to mitigate the issue associated with NSFW content, a comprehensive evaluation of their effectiveness across various scenarios remains absent. To bridge this gap, we introduce a full-pipeline toolkit specifically designed for concept erasure and conduct the first systematic study of NSFW concept erasure methods. By examining the interplay between the underlying mechanisms and empirical observations, we provide in-depth insights and practical guidance for the effective application of concept erasure methods in various real-world scenarios, with the aim of advancing the understanding of content safety in diffusion models and establishing a solid foundation for future research and development in this critical area.