AI being used in child sex abuse, SC Attorney General says

AG Alan Wilson urges Congress to study artificial intelligence issue
South Carolina is joining all 50 states asking Congress to study Artificial Intelligence, which they say is being used to exploit children through child abuse.
Published: Sep. 5, 2023 at 12:16 PM EDT|Updated: Sep. 5, 2023 at 12:29 PM EDT
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COLUMBIA, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson is spearheading a bipartisan letter of 50 states and 4 territories urging Congress to study Artificial Intelligence (AI), which he says has been used in the exploitation of children through child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

Wilson says AI is being used to create “deepfakes” that depict sexual abuse of children, both real and nonexistent.

“AI tools can rapidly and easily create ‘deepfakes’ by studying real photographs of abused children to generate new images showing those children in sexual positions,” the letter states. “This involves overlaying the face of one person on the body of another. Deepfakes can also be generated by overlaying photographs of otherwise unvictimized children on the internet with photographs of abused children to create new CSAM involving the previously unharmed children.”

The letter proposes legislation to protect children from that abuse.

The Attorney General says, “I’m the chief prosecutor of the state, but even more importantly, I’m a dad. Doing all I can to ensure children are safe and protected from exploitation is my top priority.”

Wilson, along with the rest of the coalition, is asking Congress to form a commission to study how AI can exploit children and wants them to use the study to prevent more children from being exploited.