This research introduces MC-SIGNS, a dataset of 288 gesture-country pairs annotated for cultural offensiveness, addressing a critical gap in AI safety.

• Identifies high-risk gestures that vary in meaning across cultures
• Evaluates popular AI models' ability to recognize culturally offensive gestures
• Reveals significant limitations in current AI systems' cultural sensitivity
• Highlights urgent need for culturally-aware AI safety mechanisms

Security Implications: As AI systems become globally integrated, their inability to recognize offensive non-verbal cues could lead to serious social and diplomatic consequences, underscoring the importance of culturally-informed AI safety measures.

Mind the Gesture: Evaluating AI Sensitivity to Culturally Offensive Non-Verbal Gestures