Pennsylvania Capitol Building on Tuesday, May 24, 2022. (Photo by Amanda Berg, for the Capital-Star).
The Pennsylvania Senate voted unanimously on Monday to criminalize pornographic images of minors created with artificial intelligence.
“It is deeply troubling that as we sit here today, AI is being exploited to create sexually explicit images and deepfakes involving minors,” said Sen. Christine Tartaglione (D-Philadelphia). “This misuse of technology is not theoretical. It is a reality.”
Around the country, schools have had to grapple with the proliferation of technology that has allowed students to create deepfaked explicit images of their peers. And numerous states have begun moving to address the issue with new laws.
States race to restrict deepfake porn as it becomes easier to create
The bill passed by Pennsylvania’s Senate would work by clarifying that existing laws banning child pornography and the non-consensual sharing of pornographic images of sexual partners are still applicable when the images are created with artificial intelligence.
“We need to do everything we can to prevent individuals from using AI for these insidious purposes,” said the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Tracy Pennycuick (R-Montgomery), chair of the Senate Communications and Technology committee. “By working in a bipartisan manner, the General Assembly is making it clear that Pennsylvania is not the place for this depraved activity.”
The bill next goes to the state House for consideration.
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