Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a bipartisan coalition of 44 attorneys general, today sent a letter to U.S. House of Representatives endorsing the Child Exploitation and Artificial Intelligence Expert Commission Act of 2024.
The act would establish a commission to investigate child exploitation crimes committed using artificial intelligence, as well as make recommendations to help improve law enforcement agencies’ abilities to prevent, detect and prosecute those crimes.
“Just like child sexual abuse images containing real children, predators use AI-generated child pornography to lure and groom minors, and to normalize their own reprehensible behavior. This is an increasing concern that must be addressed before technology outpaces our ability to distinguish between AI images and images of real children,” Raoul said. “Policymakers need to fully understand and establish safeguards against the evolution of this heinous crime so we can protect our children from the trauma of exploitation.”
In the letter, Raoul and the attorneys general note that while AI can be a useful tool for changing the world for the better, it also carries risks. The coalition said they are hopeful the work of the commission will result in appropriate safety measures and updates to existing laws to protect children from digital exploitation.
This is the latest in Raoul’s effort to stop child exploitation, specifically in relation to AI. In September 2023, Raoul joined a bipartisan coalition urging Congress to study how AI can and is being used to exploit children through child sexual abuse material (CSAM). At the state level Raoul’s Illinois House Bill 4623, which will prohibit the use of AI to create child pornography that involves real children or obscene imagery, awaits the governor’s signature after unanimously passing in the Illinois General Assembly in May.
Joining Raoul in sending today’s letter are the attorneys general of Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, U.S. Virgin Islands, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wyoming.
