California Attorney General Rob Bonta has joined a bipartisan coalition of 44 states and territories in urging Congress to pass the Child Exploitation and Artificial Intelligence Expert Commissions Act of 2024. This legislation aims to establish a commission to study the threat posed by artificial intelligence (AI) in the exploitation of children through child sexual abuse material. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, such material "creates a permanent record of the child’s victimization." The proposed commission would recommend legislative measures to protect children from these abuses.
"Artificial intelligence is ushering extraordinary advances in all sectors throughout the world, but it is also a tool that poses risks that we must tackle head-on," said Attorney General Bonta. "As a father, and as the People’s Attorney, I support Congress’ efforts to establish this commission to protect our kids. I won’t stand by as AI is used to threaten the safety and well-being of our children. We are all aware of the threat posed by AI, and we can’t allow our children’s safety to fall through the cracks. We have zero tolerance for child sexual abuse of any sort."
In September 2023, attorneys general sent a letter to Congress advocating for this commission. The letter highlighted concerns about AI being used to exploit children by identifying their location and mimicking their voices. For instance, with only a short recording, AI tools can clone a person's voice and use it fraudulently. Scammers have even employed AI in fake kidnappings.
The letter also addressed deepfakes involving children—fake images or videos that appear real. AI can generate new abusive content by studying real photographs of abused children or overlaying images of unvictimized children with those of abused ones.
Attorney General Bonta's recent letter was co-signed by attorneys general from Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Dakota Ohio Oregon Oklahoma Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Utah Vermont Virginia Washington Wyoming District Columbia Guam U.S Virgin Islands.
A copy of the letter is available here.