In a united front against the growing threat of AI-enabled child sexual abuse material (CSAM), Attorneys General from all 50 U.S. states, along with 4 territories, have come together to call upon Congress to take immediate action.
Key Takeaway
Attorneys General from all 50 U.S. states, along with 4 territories, are united in their fight against AI-enabled child exploitation. They have urged Congress to establish a specialized committee to address the risks of AI-generated CSAM and expand existing legislation accordingly. Meanwhile, concerns over the proliferation of nonconsensual AI deep fakes and the need for stronger legal protections for victims persist.
Concerns Over AI’s Role in Facilitating Abuse
The Attorneys General emphasize their concern that the advancement of artificial intelligence is creating a new frontier for abuse, making the prosecution of internet crimes against children even more challenging. The development of AI has made it easier for malicious individuals to generate deep fake images, which convincingly depict people in false scenarios.
While some instances of deep fakes may have harmless intentions, such as the infamous moment when the internet believed the Pope was wearing a trendy Balenciaga coat, the Attorneys General highlight the far more troubling implications. They express that this technology can be leveraged to facilitate the abuse of children.
The letter states, “Whether the children in the source photographs for deepfakes are physically abused or not, the creation and circulation of sexualized images depicting actual children poses a significant threat to their physical, psychological, and emotional well-being, as well as that of their parents.”
Call for Legislative Measures
The Attorneys General are urging Congress to establish a committee dedicated to researching and developing solutions to address the risks associated with AI-generated CSAM. Furthermore, they recommend expanding current legislation against CSAM to explicitly cover AI-generated content.
Currently, there are limited legal protections for victims of nonconsensual, sexually exploitative AI deep fakes. However, specific states such as New York, California, Virginia, and Georgia have enacted laws prohibiting the dissemination of sexually exploitative AI deep fakes. Texas made history by becoming the first state to ban the use of AI deep fakes in political elections back in 2019.
Despite major social media platforms implementing policies prohibiting this content, it can still evade detection. Recently, an app advertising the ability to “swap any face” into suggestive videos ran over 230 ads across Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger before being identified and removed by Meta in response to reports from NBC News.
International Efforts and Ethics Questions
While efforts to combat AI-related abuse are being made on a global scale, European lawmakers are actively seeking to collaborate with other nations to establish an AI Code of Conduct. Negotiations for this important initiative are still underway.
