Congress Must Stop Robots From Making Child Porn, Michigan AG Says

Dana Nessel has joined a coalition of state attorneys general in urging Congress to take action amid reports of artificial intelligence being used to create child pornography.

MICHIGAN—Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has joined a nationwide coalition in urging Congress to study how artificial intelligence is being used to exploit children through the creation of child sexual abuse material, she announced in a statement this week. 

“Artificial Intelligence poses a serious threat to our children, and abusers are already taking advantage,” Nessel said on Tuesday. “Our laws and regulations must catch up to the technology being used by those who prey on our children. I stand with my colleagues in asking Congress to prioritize examining the dangers posed by AI-generated child sexual abuse material.” 

In a letter sent to Congress from the National Association for Attorneys General, Nessel and other officials said that AI can “rapidly and easily” create images of children in sexual positions—including by using real images of real children who have been abused, as well as overlaying images of other children found on the internet with photographs of abused children.

The letter states that Congress is in a “race against time to protect the children of our country.”

“The proverbial walls of the city have already been breached. Now is the time to act,” it reads. 

Specifically, the coalition (including Nessel) has asked Congress to form a commission to study how AI can be used to exploit children, and to find new ways to deter and address the practice—including by expanding laws to explicitly prohibit using AI to generate child porn.

“Much of the focus [on regulating the use of artificial intelligence] has been on national security and education concerns. And while those interests are worthy of consideration, the safety of children should not fall through the cracks when evaluating the risks of AI,” the letter reads.

Read the full letter here.

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