Attorney General Alan Wilson applauds passage of S.28 and S.29 to crack down on AI-generated Child Sexual Abuse Material, morphed images

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) – Attorney General Alan Wilson today issued the following statement after the General Assembly passed Senate Bills 28 and 29, critical legislation that criminalizes the creation, possession, and distribution of AI-generated sexual images of individuals without their consent. The bills now head to Governor Henry McMaster’s desk.  
 
“This is a major victory for victims and a major blow to predators who think they can hide behind a keyboard,” said Attorney General Wilson. “South Carolina is leading the nation in tackling the abuse of artificial intelligence to humiliate, exploit, and destroy lives. These bills give us the teeth we need to go after the sick individuals using AI to create fake pornography of real people, many of them women and children.”  
 
The bills define “morphed images” as digitally created or altered explicit images where a person is depicted in a sexual act they did not participate in.   
 
The legislation:  

• Makes it a felony to create, distribute, or possess non-consensual AI-generated sexual content  
• Empowers victims to pursue civil action and demand the removal of such content  
• Requires online platforms to implement tools to detect and prevent the spread of this abuse  

 Attorney General Wilson worked with lawmakers throughout this legislative session and the previous session to get these bills across the finish line. 
 
“This was a team effort. I personally worked with legislators from both chambers and the Joint Citizens and Legislative Committee on Children to draft and improve these bills,” Wilson said. “I want to thank the lawmakers who stood with victims and made this a priority. Together, we’re making South Carolina the model for how to fight AI-fueled exploitation.”  
 
Wilson has not only led on this issue at the state level, but on the federal level too. On September 5, 2023, he organized and led a historic, bipartisan coalition of all 50 states and 4 territories urging Congress to investigate how AI is being weaponized to create child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and to craft legislation to stop it.  
 
Read the letter here: https://www.scag.gov/about-the-office/news/attorney-general-alan-wilson-urges-congress-to-study-ai-and-its-harmful-effects-on-children/(https://www.scag.gov/about-the-office/news/attorney-general-alan-wilson-urges-congress-to-study-ai-and-its-harmful-effects-on-children/)