Wisconsin passed a bipartisan law Oct. 3 to criminalize the misuse of artificial intelligence in creating deepfake pornography.
Wisconsin Act 34 makes it a misdemeanor to use artificial intelligence to create pornography of individuals, while using AI to generate nude or sexual images of someone for purposes of intimidation, coercion, or harassment is now classified as a felony.
This was a bipartisan effort, as it was authored by Republican lawmakers Rep. Brent Jacobson of Mosinee and state Sen. Andre Jacque of New Franken and signed by Evers, a Democrat. The law took effect Oct. 4.
The law was preempted by Wisconsin high schooler Bradyn Bohn, who committed suicide after falling victim to AI images of himself. Jacobson said events such as Bohn’s suicide show how vulnerable individuals can be to online intimidation.
The FBI received more than 13,000 reports of online financial sextortion between October 2021 and March 2023, according to federal officials. The FBI confirmed these sextortion cases have led to at least 20 suicides. (RELATED: Shutdown Showdown: Democrats Refuse to Deal)
In financial sextortion cases, offenders extort minors by threatening to release explicit images unless they receive money or gift cards, and often share the material anyway.
“Victims are typically males between the ages of 14 to 17, but any child can become a victim,” according to the FBI. “For financially motivated sextortion, offenders are usually located outside the United States and primarily in West African countries such as Nigeria and Ivory Coast, or Southeast Asian countries such as the Philippines.”
As AI becomes more advanced, bad actors are increasingly using it to harass and intimidate innocent people, Jacque said in a statement. (RELATED: Politics on Display: Middleton High Assignment Brands Students ‘Nazis’)
“Act 34 will protect citizens against a new and disturbing form of cyber-abuse and ensure that all Wisconsinites can feel comfortable sharing regular images of themselves online without fearing that those images will be manipulated or corrupted into pornography,” he said.
Jacque also said it’s very important to have a clear prohibition in place regarding these AI-generated images. The law ensures synthetic nudes will be charged the same as real ones, as to discourage people from creating sexual deepfakes.
