The Senate passed the Alabama Child Protection Act on Thursday to crack down on child pornography generated by artificial intelligence.
House Bill 168, carried in the Senate by State Sen. April Weaver (R-Brierfield), passed unanimously. The House also recently passed the measure, sponsored by State Rep. Matt Woods (R-Jasper), to expand the state’s ability to investigate and prosecute artificially generated child sexual abuse material.
“The purpose is to amend our state laws to treat AI-generated child pornography the same way we treat child pornography. It keeps in place all of our current laws and penalties against child pornography but merely adds AI-generated child porn to what is prohibited,” Weaver said on the Senate floor on Thursday.
The bill will now head to Gov. Kay Ivey for her signature.
“Artificial intelligence delivers opportunities for productive innovation but has and will be used by those seeking to do harm—particularly when it comes to the rapid production and dissemination of child sex abuse material. With the passage of HB168, Alabama will become a leader in the nation for protecting children from this scourge—thwarting child sex abuse material designed by artificial intelligence,” Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said. “I am thankful for Representative Matt Woods’ leadership on this issue, which ensures that law enforcement and prosecutors have the tools they need to lock up these depraved predators.”
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