A U.S. Army soldier stationed in Alaska, Seth Herrera, used artificial intelligence to generate child sexual abuse material, according to federal prosecutors. Herrera, 34, was alleged to have used AI chatbots to create pornography of minors and viewed thousands of images depicting violent sexual abuse of children. The Department of Justice warned about the use of AI in perpetuating crimes and stated they will prosecute such conduct to the fullest extent of the law.
Homeland Security Investigations agents executed a search warrant at Herrera’s home and found tens of thousands of videos and images depicting child sexual abuse, including infants. Herrera saved recordings of minors undressing in his home and used AI chatbots to generate exploitative content. He also sought out sexually abusive content depicting children roughly the age of his daughter.
Herrera was charged with transportation, receipt, and possession of child pornography, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. The arrest is part of the efforts by federal law enforcement to combat the use of new technology by sexual predators. Officials say that AI can also be used to catch offenders, as seen in a recent operation by Homeland Security Investigations that led to the identification or rescue of over 100 victims.
The public is urged to report suspected production of child sexual abuse content, including AI-generated material, to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children or the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center. The case highlights the importance of vigilance and law enforcement efforts in combating online predators exploiting children.
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