ATLANTA, Ga. — In response to the rapid advance of artificial intelligence technologies, Georgia legislators are moving to address the unsettling rise in AI-created child sexual abuse materials. A new bill under consideration aims to fill the significant voids in current legislation, recognizing the unique threats posed by these digital creations.
Senate Bill 9, sponsored by state Sen. John Albers of Roswell, who recently led a Senate study committee on artificial intelligence, seeks to impose severe penalties on the distribution of sexually explicit materials featuring children generated by AI. Unlike existing laws, the proposed legislation does not require the depicted minors to be real individuals. Offenders could face up to 15 years in prison for possessing or disseminating such content.
As technological capabilities expand, malefactors have increasingly utilized AI to craft and share fabricated images and videos for abuse. These depictions, known as deepfakes, mimic real-life children, causing potential irreparable damage to their well-being and social standing. According to Kate Ruane, director of the Free Expression Project at the Center for Democracy & Technology, this technology has facilitated the production of these images on an unprecedented scale.
The legal challenges surrounding these AI-generated images stem partly from questions about First Amendment protections. The ambiguity in current laws regarding whether digitally created depictions that simply appear to be children are illegal has prompted the need for clear legal definitions and heightened penalties.
Moreover, the issue of AI-generated child sexual abuse materials is not confined to Georgia. California introduced similar legislation last year, and a number of other states are beginning to construct a fragmented regulatory landscape to govern the emerging technology.
Ruane highlighted the misuse of AI in the production of these materials. Bad actors often employ social media platforms to acquire images of children, which are then input into AI generators to create sexually explicit content. This content is then circulated across digital platforms, magnifying the harm to victims.
Last year, Georgia legislators also sought to tackle the misuse of AI with legislation aimed at regulating deepfakes in political campaign advertising. The bill, which would have made the broadcast or publication of deceptive AI-generated content a felony, ultimately failed to pass in the Senate.
In anticipation of this year’s legislative session, the Georgia Senate Study Committee on Artificial Intelligence recommended the adoption of laws on data privacy and deepfake regulation after consulting with various experts on the topic.
Sen. Sheikh Rahman from Lawrenceville, another sponsor of SB 9, emphasized the need for legislative guardrails to protect children from the potentially devastating applications of AI.
Sen. Albers indicated plans to introduce additional AI-related bills during the session, signaling a comprehensive approach to address the various challenges posed by artificial intelligence.
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