Spanberger backs legislation to prevent AI-generated child sexual abuse material

U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger of Virginia backed bipartisan legislation to crack down on the creation of child sexual abuse material using artificial intelligence.

In 2023, the FBI warned the public of malicious actors creating “deepfakes” by using pictures of minors to create sexually explicit images of minors. That same month, the U.S. Department of Justice affirmed that AI-generated child sex abuse material is spreading on forums across the dark web.

However, few documented instances of suspects being charged or successfully prosecuted for creating such content exist, which raises concerns about the efficacy of current legal frameworks in addressing the proliferation of AI-generated images. In September, 54 attorneys general signed a letter to the leadership of both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate urging Congress to study the role of AI in the creation of child sexual abuse material.

The Spanberger-backed Child Exploitation and Artificial Intelligence Expert Commission Act would establish a commission called the Child Exploitation and Artificial Intelligence Expert Commission to study how AI is used by bad actors to create child sexual abuse material and devise strategies to help law enforcement prevent, detect and prosecute AI-generated crimes against children. The 13-member commission would be composed of experts appointed by the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. House Minority Leader, the U.S. Senate Majority Leader and the U.S. Senate Minority Leader.

“The safety of our children should be our number one priority — and as a former federal law enforcement officer, I know that child exploitation and abuse is an epidemic in the United States,” said Spanberger. “As technology and artificial intelligence evolve, we must make sure our legal system can prevent digital exploitation, protect our kids, and hold criminals who commit these heinous acts accountable. It’s critical that subject matter experts work to close legal gaps and properly address easily bypassed filters in AI models that enable this behavior. That’s why I’m proud to back this bipartisan effort to bring together a coalition of experts to prevent AI from being used to create child sexual abuse material.”

The bipartisan Child Exploitation and Artificial Intelligence Expert Commission Act is endorsed by the National Association of Attorneys General, United States Deputy Sheriff’s Association, Small and Rural Law Enforcement Executives, National White Collar Crimes Center, Trafficking Taskforce of America, Foundation for Digital Innovation, AI Policy Institute, BullMoose Project, Safe Surfin’, Future of Life Institute and RAVEN.

The Child Exploitation and Artificial Intelligence Expert Commission would:

• Investigate and assess how artificial intelligence may be used to commit a child exploitation crime;
• Evaluate the ability to prevent, detect, and prosecute a child exploitation crime committed using artificial intelligence under the law in effect during the period of the evaluation of the Commission; and
• Analyze the efficacy of the current legal framework to charge individuals suspected of using AI to create CSAM and recommend changes to the current statute.

The legislation is led in the U.S. House by U.S. Rep. Nicholas Langworthy of New York.