Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News
The FBI last June issued a warning about bad actors manipulating photos and videos using AI technology. In February, FBI Director Christopher Wray said, “advances in generative AI are lowering the barrier to entry,” meaning we’re likely to see more so-called deepfakes going forward.
Last month, the Bureau’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) issued an alert warning that CSAM created by generative AI and similar online tools is illegal. “Federal law prohibits the production, advertisement, transportation, distribution, receipt, sale, access with intent to view, and possession of any CSAM, including realistic computer-generated images,” the alert states.
Tatum was sentenced to 40 years in prison. In a statement after Tatum’s sentencing, U.S. Attorney Dena King said the child psychiatrist misused artificial intelligence “in the worst possible way: to victimize children.”
FBI Charlotte Special Agent in Charge Robert DeWitt said Tatum’s actions—while in a position of trust, no less—were horrific. “The FBI will never stop working to put predators like Tatum behind bars for a very long time,” he said in a statement after Tatum’s sentencing.
At Tatum’s sentencing, another victim who said she knew Tatum in high school asked the court for the maximum penalty.
“I was a child when the photos were taken that have now been so horribly twisted,” the mother of two children said. “How can this be that there exist pictures of me for which I did not pose, consent? To put it plainly, this mess is not my fault, but it is now part of my life to deal with.”