Hinson Joins Bipartisan Effort to Protect Children From Exploitation Through AI
WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswoman Ashley Hinson (R-IA-02) helped introduce the bipartisan Child Exploitation and Artificial Intelligence Expert Commission Act alongside Congressman Nick Langworthy (R-NY-23) to address the creation of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) using artificial intelligence (AI). This legislation will establish a commission to develop a legal framework to assist law enforcement in preventing, detecting, and prosecuting AI-generated crimes against children.
“As a mom, I am concerned about child predators misusing AI to exploit our kids and believe we need to be proactive – not reactive – about this potential danger. I am proud to back legislation that will empower law enforcement to prevent AI child exploitation crimes and prosecute those who perpetrate these disgusting abuses. We’ve already seen heinous uses of AI – protecting our kids needs to be a top priority as this technology gains traction.” - Congresswoman Ashley Hinson
“The rapid growth of artificial intelligence poses unique challenges for protecting our children now and in the future as technology evolves. The Child Exploitation & Artificial Intelligence Expert Commission, created by this legislation, would bring together the foremost experts in the field to develop tools to effectively prevent, detect, and prosecute child exploitation crimes. This is just the first step to confront these challenges head-on and create a safer digital environment for the most vulnerable Americans.” - Congressman Nick Langworthy
This legislation is co-sponsored by Reps. Russell Fry (R-SC), Andre Carson (D-IN), Mike Lawler (R-NY), Don Davis (D-NC), Mary Miller (R-IL), Zach Nunn (R-IA), Don Bacon (R-NE), Alma Adams (D-NC), Claudia Tenney (R-NY), and Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY).
Organizations that support the legislation include RAVEN, Trafficking Taskforce of America, Small and Rural Law Enforcement Executives, National White Collar Crimes Center, Foundation for Digital Innovation, AI Policy Institute, BullMoose Project, and Safe Surfin’.
"The advent of Artificial intelligence will significantly impact children and exacerbate online victimization. Our children are at risk. The Child Exploitation & Artificial Intelligence Expert Commission Act will help develop guidelines, policies and guiderails to keep our children safe ensuring that the right solutions are legislated in order to protect our children. Artificial Intelligence will significantly impact children and exacerbate victimization." - John Pizzuro, President and CEO of RAVEN
“Recent advances in Artificial Intelligence have yielded both miracles and unprecedented challenges for law enforcement. This includes the sudden rise in AI tools for generating and distributing CSAM at scale, leading the identities of true victims to be lost in a flood of malicious deepfakes. Given the rapidly changing technology landscape, the Child Exploitation and Artificial Intelligence Commission Act of 2023 reflects this urgent need to revisit our existing legal frameworks, bolster the technical awareness of state and local enforcement agencies, and assess strategies for preventing, detecting, and prosecuting AI-enabled crimes against children in the years ahead.” - Samuel Hammond, Senior Economist at the Foundation for American Innovation
"The proactive stance this bill takes in addressing the complexities of child exploitation in the age of artificial intelligence is commendable. NW3C commends Congressman Langworthy for his leadership and vision in establishing the Commission of Experts on Child Exploitation and Artificial Intelligence." - President Glen Gainer of the National White Collar Crime Center
"The Child Exploitation and Artificial Intelligence Expert Commission Act of 2024 is a crucially important step to protecting kids. As AI continues to advance, it is imperative that Congress understands the issues at hand. AI-created CSAM is disgusting, in part because it must be trained to create these images using real images of CSAM. We cannot let kids fall victim to harmful technology again like we did with social media. The Bull Moose Project thanks Rep. Langworthy for taking this action, and emphatically endorses this bill. We will work tirelessly to see the commission up and running." - Ziven Havens, Policy Director at BullMoose Project
Background:
The Child Exploitation & Artificial Intelligence Expert Commission Act 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;
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.
DOJ officials affirm that AI-generated images violating federal laws concerning child protection remain a concern. However, there have been few documented instances of suspects being charged or successfully prosecuted for creating such content. This absence of legal action raises significant concerns about the efficacy of current legal frameworks in addressing the escalating issue of AI-generated CSAM proliferation.
On September 5, 2023, fifty-four attorney generals signed a letter to the leadership of both the House and the Senate urging Congress to establish a commission studying how AI is utilized in the creation of CSAM and devise strategies to assist law enforcement in preventing, detecting and prosecuting AI-generated crimes against children.
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