Minnesota considers blocking ‘nudify’ apps that use AI to make explicit images without consent

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Molly Kelley was stunned to discover in June that someone she knew had used widely available “nudification” technology to create highly realistic and sexually explicit videos and images of her, using family photos that were posted on social media. The Kansas House last month approved a bill that expands the definition of illegal sexual exploitation of a child to include possession of images generated with AI if they’re “indistinguishable from a real child, morphed from a real child’s image or generated without any actual child involvement.” A bill introduced in the Florida Legislature creates a new felony for people who use technology such as AI to generate nude images and criminalizes possession of child sexual abuse images generated with it. Victims tell their stories Sandi Johnson, senior legislative policy counsel for the victim’s rights group RAINN — the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network — said the Minnesota bill would hold websites accountable. “I do not understand why this technology exists and I find it abhorrent there are companies out there making money in this manner.” AI experts urge caution However, two AI law experts — Wayne Unger of the Quinnipiac University School of Law and Riana Pfefferkorn of Stanford University’s Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence — said the Minnesota bill is too broadly constructed to survive a court challenge. “And they’ll have to narrow what they mean by nudify and nudification.” But Maye Quade said she thinks her legislation is on solid constitutional ground because it’s regulating conduct, not speech.