Man charged for distributing AI-generated child sexual abuse material

In what may prove to be a landmark case, federal prosecutors have charged 42-year-old Steven Anderegg with creating and distributing child sexual abuse material, or CSAM, using artificial intelligence, according to a Justice Department statement on Monday.

“Put simply, CSAM generated by AI is still CSAM,” Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said. The Justice Department will prosecute those who use AI to depict the exploitation or abuse of children, Monaco added. Anderegg has pleaded not guilty, according to a report by the Washington Post. Citing a Justice Department official, the Washington Post also reported that it was the first case the department was aware of where the suspect generated CSAM entirely through the use of AI.

What did this guy allegedly do? Anderegg allegedly created explicit images using text-to-image generative AI software. The Justice Department alleged that he gave the software explicit instructions in text format to generate the CSAM. He then described the process to a 15-year-old via Instagram messages and also provided explicit images to that same teenager, according to investigators. According to the department's statement, Instagram reported Anderegg’s account to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, who then provided a CyberTip to the Justice Department.

What sort of penalties could this guy face? Together, the charges carry a mandatory minimum of five years in prison, according to the Justice Department. But if he’s convicted on all four counts in the indictment, Anderegg could face as many as 70 years in prison.

Dig deeper: Read Christina Grube’s report in The Sift about OpenAI using Scarlett Johanson’s voice for its ChatGPT product.