New AI bills signed in California aim to protect children from deepfakes

WASHINGTON (TND) — California Governor Gavin Newsom just signed two laws that allow prosecutors to go after people who possess or distribute AI-generated child sexual abuse images.

Peter Gentala, senior legal counsel at the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, said creating AI images is nothing new.

“But the technology has never been more available,” Gentala said.

As a result, Gentala says crimes to exploit children have increased.

“The number of crimes committed using generative AI to avoid liability for child exploitation has skyrocketed,” says Gentala.

The two bills just signed into law by Governor Newsom make it a crime to possess or distribute AI-generated child sexual abuse images, real people or not.

California’s clarification of the law makes it clearer for a large part of American society,” Gentala said.

Chad Ruback, an attorney from Dallas, Texas, said to his knowledge California is the first state to change its law.

“To change the criminal code. To make prosecuting someone with AI-generated child pornography much easier,” Ruback said.

Before heading to Newsom’s desk, Ruback said the bills were supported on both sides of the aisle.

“So this is not something that just the majority Democratic party in the California Legislature has pushed through. This is something that has had bipartisan support,” Ruback said.

That’s one reason he believes we’ll see similar bills.

“I think we’re going to see more and more bills and eventually laws at the state and federal level that address AI,” Ruback said.