by Hugh McQuaid
Connecticut lawmakers will continue this year to explore ways to regulate emergent artificial intelligence technology including a proposal to outlaw AI-generated pornography, Sen. James Maroney, D-Milford, announced in a Thursday press release.
Last year, Maroney, who co-chairs the legislature’s General Law Committee, helped lead passage of legislation to review the use of AI decision-making in state government and has since co-chaired a task force intended to inform future proposals on the subject.
Among the recommendations will be proposals to criminalize certain AI-generated nude images and regulate the use of artificial intelligence in campaign materials.
“One of the risks we have seen is in disinformation and spreading fake content,” Maroney said in a press release. “In Connecticut, we need to make certain that it is illegal to use AI to generate non-consensual intimate images. We also need to protect the integrity of our elections and prevent the use of deep fakes for campaigns.”
The proposal would build on a current state law, which criminalizes the non-consensual sharing of intimate images, often called “revenge porn,” and comes on the heels of a recent case in New Jersey, where high school students used AI to create pornographic images of their classmates.
Connecticut law currently includes no prohibition on these types of “deep fake” images, according to the press release.
State and federal lawmakers have also worried about the potential impact of deep fake technology on pictures, audio, and video content related to campaigns and elaborate scams.
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal has advocated for federal regulation of artificial intelligence. Last year, he used a digital approximation of his own voice and speech patterns to make opening remarks before a Senate subcommittee.
Maroney plans to recommend proposals that require more transparency in the use of AI as well as create training programs designed to teach residents to better interact with the technology, according to the press release.
“AI has the ability to radically transform the way we live and work,” he said. “In order to reap the full benefits of this rapidly evolving technology, we need to ensure that there is trust and we put in guardrails to keep citizens safe.”
During a Tuesday meeting of the AI task force, Maroney said the group would review its work and put together a formal set of recommendations ahead of the legislative session that begins on Feb. 7.
Maroney planned to lean on some technological assistance in putting together a final report.
“I’m using an AI to transcribe all of the previous meetings and then I’m going to summarize all of the speakers to generate a report,” he said.