Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko, a cosponsor of the bill stated, “As technology evolves, so must our laws. This bill sends a clear message that our society will not tolerate the malicious use of artificial intelligence to produce harmful sexual content involving minors.”
“Confronting an unprecedented epidemic of social media-facilitated teen suicides, we urgently need to ensure that our criminal statutes against abusing or endangering children clearly reach the sickening and public sexualization of their appearances,” said Ed Howard, Senior Counsel, Children’s Advocacy Institute, University of San Diego School of Law.
"Common Sense Media applauds Assemblymember Berman's efforts to safeguard children online with the introduction of this bill, AB 1831, which builds on the success of AB 1394, a bill that was signed into law last year to help stamp out the deeply harmful problem of online child sex trafficking. This new bill employs a similarly proactive approach, this time protecting kids and teens against online exploitation that is exacerbated by the rise of AI. California should take the lead when it comes to protecting kids and families from the negative impacts of this powerful new technology,” said James P. Steyer, founder and CEO, Common Sense Media.
Existing law prohibits the manufacture, distribution, and possession of CSAM depicting an actual child. It does not address computer-generated images that depict the likeness of a child, even those that are virtually indistinguishable from an actual child, or those that are computer-generated to look like a known child or child celebrity. AB 1831 would prohibit the creation and possession of obscene CSAM images generated by artificial intelligence.
“Confronting an unprecedented epidemic of social media-facilitated teen suicides, we urgently need to ensure that our criminal statutes against abusing or endangering children clearly reach the sickening and public sexualization of their appearances,” said Ed Howard, Senior Counsel, Children’s Advocacy Institute, University of San Diego School of Law.
"Common Sense Media applauds Assemblymember Berman's efforts to safeguard children online with the introduction of this bill, AB 1831, which builds on the success of AB 1394, a bill that was signed into law last year to help stamp out the deeply harmful problem of online child sex trafficking. This new bill employs a similarly proactive approach, this time protecting kids and teens against online exploitation that is exacerbated by the rise of AI. California should take the lead when it comes to protecting kids and families from the negative impacts of this powerful new technology,” said James P. Steyer, founder and CEO, Common Sense Media.
Existing law prohibits the manufacture, distribution, and possession of CSAM depicting an actual child. It does not address computer-generated images that depict the likeness of a child, even those that are virtually indistinguishable from an actual child, or those that are computer-generated to look like a known child or child celebrity. AB 1831 would prohibit the creation and possession of obscene CSAM images generated by artificial intelligence.