Last year, a 14-year-old constituent of Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield) named Francesca Mani sounded the alarm over a culture of artificial intelligence (AI) misuse at Westfield High School, where students were allegedly creating fake pornographic images of their female peers and sharing them. Now, Kean is working on legislation that would aim to prevent similar situations in the future.
At a press conference today with Mani and Rep. Joseph Morelle (D-New York), Kean said he’s working to implement new guardrails on the use of AI, a technology which has become radically more advanced in recent years and thus has little legal infrastructure regulating it.
“As a father, I have been deeply disturbed by how this technology can be used in an explicit manner and minors can easily be the victims,” Kean said. “It’s unimaginable for any parent to think that their daughter can turn into school, a place meant to be a safe space, and have to act as if these things are normal. My hope has been to find common-sense solutions to prevent these acts from ever happening again.”
Kean introduced his own bill in November, the AI Labeling Act of 2023, which would require AI-generated content to be clearly labeled as such and create an AI-Generated Content Consumer Transparency Working Group to recommend nationwide standards on AI usage.
Kean, alongside fellow New Jersey Reps. Mikie Sherrill (D-Montclair) and Rob Menendez (D-Jersey City), has also co-sponsored Morelle’s Preventing Deepfakes of Intimate Images Act, which was introduced last spring. Morelle’s bill would prohibit the sharing of nonconsensual AI pornography and allow victims to bring civil suits against its creators.
The fight for AI regulations in Congress echoes similar efforts taking place in New Jersey. State Sen. Kristin Corrado (R-Totowa) has proposed legislation that would criminalize the nonconsensual dissemination of sexual deepfakes, while Assembly Majority Leader Louis Greenwald (D-Voorhees) authored a package of bills aimed at regulating the use of AI in elections.
Notably, though, none of those bills have been signed into law; the same is true for Kean’s and Morelle’s congressional bills, neither of which have gotten a committee hearing. At today’s press conference, Mani says that needs to change.
“No kid, teen, or woman should ever have to experience what I went through,” Mani said. “The glaring lack of laws speaks volumes. We’re on our own, and considering that 96% of AI victims are women and children, we’re also seriously vulnerable and we need your help. This meeting proves that the politicians here today, regardless of being Democrats or Republicans, genuinely care.”
Eugen Boglaru is an AI aficionado covering the fascinating and rapidly advancing field of Artificial Intelligence. From machine learning breakthroughs to ethical considerations, Eugen provides readers with a deep dive into the world of AI, demystifying complex concepts and exploring the transformative impact of intelligent technologies.
