(wach) – In South Carolina, creating, distributing or possessing AI-generated sexual images containing child sex abuse material (CSAM) can quickly become a felony.
On Thursday, the General Assembly passed Senate Bills 28 and 29. This aims to close loopholes in prosecuting AI-generated CSAM and unconsensual explicit content.
Related | New SC Act targets loopholes for AI child exploitation prosecutors
The bill is still awaiting signing by Gov. Henry McMaster, but State Attorney General Alan Wilson welcomed their passing as a “big victory for the victims.”
“This is a big win for the victims and a big blow for predators who think they can hide behind the keyboard,” Wilson said.
“South Carolina is leading the country to humiliate, exploit and destroy it to tackle artificial intelligence abuse. These bills will give you the teeth needed to use AI to chase sick people to create fake porn for many women and children.”
The law addresses not only AI-generated CSAM, but also “morphed images.”
Related | AG Wilson Addresses Child Sex Abuse Materials Generated with Lawmakers
In an interview with Wach Fox on April 15, Amanda Whittle, director of the South Carolina Children’s Advocacy Bureau, stressed that AI-generated CSAM is not a distant concern.
“What I’ve heard is that there is a situation where people have seen images of a child’s face on someone else’s body, and of course for parents, it’s almost impossible to get it back when it comes out on the internet.”
Between 2023 and 2024, the National Center for Missing Persons and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received over 7,000 reports, including AI-generated CSAM.
Wilson acknowledged the bill’s success against bipartisan cooperation and advocacy for the victims.
I would like to thank the lawmakers who stood with the victims and made this a priority. Together, it is a model for how to combat AI fuel exploitation in South Carolina. ”
