COLUMBUS, Ohio — When artificial intelligence ends up in the wrong hands, it can exploit children here in Ohio and across the country. Now Attorneys General from dozens of states are urging Congress to create a commission to combat this.
"These crimes are happening right now,” said Columbus-based artificial intelligence expert Chris Pragash. "I'm definitely terrified of the potential of if this could ever happen."
Knowing firsthand the capabilities of AI, Pragash doesn't post any photos of his children online.
“Unfortunately, technology comes first. Regulation always tries to catch up. In our case, with this AI, the explosion at which the pace at which it is happening, it's very hard for the regulators to actually predict what else could be happening." Pragash said.
He supports the need for more regulation of artificial intelligence to protect children.
"The internet has created life for the better in many ways. It's also created more ways to exploit children,” said Callahan Walsh, the executive director of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. "Child predators know that and they are using the internet to prey on our kids."
This week in a letter to Congress, attorneys general are urging new and swift action.
In the letter, they write that they "request that an expert commission be established by Congress to study the means and methods of A-I used to exploit children through what is known as child sexual abuse material."
As the letter explains, "AI tools can rapidly and easily create ‘deepfakes’ by studying real photographs of abused children to generate new images showing those children in sexual positions. This involves overlaying the face of one person on the body of another."
Images can be used of unharmed children to create new, realistic, sexualized images and according to the letter, "the tools can run in an unrestricted and unpoliced way."
The full letter can be read here.
Cyber security experts say it's more important than ever to take matters into your own hands and remember the advice you've heard before.
"Be very mindful with your children, who they are communicating with, what apps they are using. And always, always keep an eye on what information you're sending out,” said Darrin Johnson, a cyber security expert at Progent. “Believe me, your life isn't worth being destroyed for one picture.”
10TV reached out to Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost's office to ask how prevalent this problem is here in Ohio and they said it is a highly underreported problem.
10TV received the following statement from the FBI:
“From its inception, the FBI has always attempted to stay ahead of advancements in technologies that may be used in furtherance of a criminal act or threat to national security. These advances continue to this day, particularly in the fields of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. As these technologies develop, we will continue to investigate any violations of federal law and actors that may use them for nefarious acts.”