Idaho House passes bill criminalizing sexually explicit AI images of real people

BOISE (Idaho Capital Sun) — The Idaho House of Representatives voted unanimously Tuesday to pass a bill that would make it a crime to share sexually explicit images of real people that were generated by artificial intelligence. 

House Bill 575 is a bipartisan bill sponsored by Reps. Julianne Young, R-Blackfoot, and John Gannon, D-Boise. Under the bill, it would become a crime to disclose sexually explicit AI images or media “with the intent to annoy, terrify, threaten, intimidate, harass, offend, humiliate, or degrade an identifiable person portrayed in whole or in part …”

It would also become a crime to threaten to disclose sexually explicit AI generated media for the purpose of obtaining money or something else of value. 

“House Bill 575 establishes a criminal penalty for those who may use artificial intelligence, or AI, to create explicit images of others and then to disclose those images without their consent knowing that it will cause harm,” Young said in her floor debate Tuesday. “It also addresses situations where they may not disclose the images, but they may use them to threaten, intimidate, harass or even commit extortion.”

If the bill becomes law, a first violation would be considered a misdemeanor, while a second violation in a five-year time period would be considered a felony. 

“It gives protection to all Idahoans from disguising harassment, and this conduct is not free speech,” Gannon said. “This is an invasion of privacy, and it interferes with the lives of those who are victims.”

House Bill 575 heads next to the Idaho Senate for consideration.