COLORADO SPRINGS — During a news conference on Thursday, leaders with the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) and Safe Passage, a child advocacy center, said a new state law will help crack down on an alarming trend involving artificial intelligence used to create sexually explicit videos and images of unknowing victims.
Governor Jared Polis signed SB25-288 into law on June 2. The law creates penalties for those who share or threaten to share AI-generated intimate images or videos of a victim without their consent. The penalty is a Class One Misdemeanor in most cases, but can be increased to a Class Six Felony if the material interferes with governmental proceedings, like an election or a trial, or seriously threatens the victim's safety.
CSPD Investigations Division Commander Daniel Thompson said criminals will use artificial intelligence platforms to put a child's face or an adult's face on sexually explicit videos or pictures. He said perpetrators often use foreign AI platforms that have fewer regulations than those in the U.S.
"The once innocent photographs that are shared over social media now become this farming ground for perpetrators, being able to go out and clip and produce their own material," said Commander Thompson.
Colorado is the 38th state to pass a law penalizing sexually explicit deepfakes. Maureen Basenberg, the executive director of Safe Passage, said she hopes this law will modernize the state's approach toward nonconsensual pornography and help people understand the harmful effects artificial intelligence can have on children.
"As a community, we have a shared responsibility to keep kids safe," said Basenberg. "No longer does someone need real nude or explicit photos of your children to exploit or threaten them? Individuals can create fake versions using publicly available photos from school or social media to develop deep fakes or voice cloning assets that are harming the mental and emotional well-being of our children."
State Senator Marc Snyder, a Democrat who represents El Paso and Teller Counties, sponsored the bill. He said there is more work to be done to keep up with the ever-evolving technology.
"This is a tough space. AI is evolving so quickly. It is really hard to legislate and keep up with it. We're doing the best we can, but I don't think this is going to be... this is more of a beginning than an end," said Sen. Snyder.
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