A U.S. Army soldier stationed in Alaska has been charged with using artificial intelligence (AI) to produce child pornography featuring minors he knew, federal prosecutors said Monday.
Seth Herrera, 34, was indicted by a federal grand jury last week on charges of transporting, receiving and possessing images of child pornography.
During an investigation into his alleged crimes, law enforcement officials located tens of thousands of images of “the violent sexual abuse of children” — including infants — on cellphones he owned, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska said in a news release.
Herrera is also accused of using encrypted messaging apps to find, receive and download child sexual abuse materials, or CSAM, authorities said.
Additionally, investigators said Herrera allegedly used AI to generate CSAM “depicting minors known to him.”
“As alleged, the defendant used AI tools to morph images of real kids into horrific child sexual abuse material,” Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said in a statement.
Monaco also noted the dangers surrounding the misuse of “cutting-edge generative AI,” which she said is leading to a rapid increase in the production of child pornography material.
In March the Federal Bureau of Investigation issued a public service announcement warning the public that CSAM created with “content manipulation technologies” — including generative AI— is illegal.
“Put simply, CSAM generated by AI is still CSAM, and those who sexually exploit children, through whatever technological means, will be held accountable by our office in conjunction with our law enforcement partners, for justice and the safety of our children,” Alaska U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker said in a statement Monday.
Herrera was arrested Friday and charged with one count each of transportation, receipt and possession of child porn. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 5 years and up to 20 years in prison.
He’s expected back in court on Tuesday.
