SC bills are intended to make AI -generated sexual abuse materials illegal – WRDW

Greenville, SC (Fox Carolina) – There is a new wave of criminal activity aimed at children and investigators, claim that the laws of South Carolina leave them exposed.

Sexual predators already use AI to create material for sexual abuse of children (CSAM), according to the National Center for Missing and Operated Children (NCMEC).

While the creation, possession and distribution of traditionally created CSAM is illegal, the laws of South Carolina do not cover images generated by AI.

Jennifer Newman, NCMEC CEO, said there are two ways in which AI is used. One ways involves predators to take a previous photo and ask AI to turn it into something explicit.

The other way involves predators to write a text prompt and create an AI explicit image from it.

“They can use this technology to create an image and say,” I like it or don’t like it? “What we know, unfortunately, if so, what will lead to it,” Newman said. “They will look for more images online. They will want the real thing and unfortunately they can even commit a practical crime. “

From mid -2023 to the end of 2024, Newman said they had received 7,000 AI -generated CSAM -generated reports.

Some of these reports are from South Carolina.

“It happened so quickly. It has just exploded, “said the Internet crimes against Children’s Criminal Investigator Kevin Atkins.

The Atkins team works within the South Carolina General Prosecutor. When cyber tips come in, they analyze everyone.

But if the image is generated AI, the case must be closed. Atkins said that she was hoping for legislators to change.

“We had the opportunity in South Carolina to be in the foreground and now we will play a catch up,” Atkins said.

Currently, there are five bills in the State House that would make AI generated CSAM, also called morphy images illegal.

Several were presented last year, but they did not pass.

Atkins said that if no action was taken, more offenders would use the new technology.

“Some people can say it’s just a picture – just an artificially created picture,” Atkins said. “I think if you rely on these images to handle it, so to say how long can you only withstand fake images before you have to move on to the real thing?”

There are 12 other countries where the AI ​​generated CSAM has not been criminalized.

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