Latest news with #SB20
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Texas lawmakers send bills banning sexually explicit AI-generated images of children to Gov. Abbott
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas legislators passed their first AI-related bill of the session to Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday, one with a specific focus on helping the state's laws catch up with technology. HB 581 would require AI tools and websites that can create sexually explicit images to ensure users and subjects are of legal age. An individual who is used as a source for the AI generation must have consented to the usage. March: Senate passes bills to fight AI-generated sexual images of children, non-consenting adults The Texas House of Representatives also passed SB 20 Thursday afternoon, which bans the possession of AI-generated child sexual abuse material. Legislators filed at least 68 bills related to AI this session, including HB 1265, to regulate AI use in mental health services, and HB 1709, the Texas Responsible Artificial Intelligence Governance Act (TRAIGA). Unless vetoed, HB 581 and SB 20 will take effect in September. Lawmakers in both chambers passed at least 25 AI-related bills; however, none of these bills have been passed by the other chamber. For instance, HB 366 would require politicians, political action committees and campaigns to disclose if they used AI-generated images in political ads. It passed in the Texas House of Representatives on April 30, but was never assigned to a committee in the Senate. HB 2298, which would have created a grant program for developing cancer-detecting AI, also shared this fate after it passed the House on May 8. The rest of the 25 bills, which represent the remaining AI legislation still in play this session, got committee assignments. Twelve are still in committee, including HB 421, one of the bills aimed at preventing nonconsensual AI-generated explicit images. Bills still pending in House committees have until Sunday before they can't be considered. Others in Senate committees have until May 28. Bills on the calendar for floor consideration in the Senate include: HB 149 would regulate bad faith use cases of AI and allow Texans to sue if an AI product uses their likeness or voice without consent; and, HB 449 would add AI-generated sexual images to the crime of unlawful production of sexually explicit images or videos. These bills have a deadline of May 28, after which they can't be considered further. In the House, three bills are on the calendar for consideration and another four (SBs 22, 441, 1964 and 2373) have yet to be placed. The other three bills include: SB 815 would block insurers from using AI to decide claims; SB 1188, which mostly focuses on a patient's biological sex in electronic health records, would require providers to disclose if they use AI; and, SB 1621, which relates to the prosecution and punishment of AI-generated CSAM. House Republicans include a 10-year ban on US states regulating AI in 'big, beautiful' bill Have a bill you want us to look into? Ask us using the form below: Submit a form. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Al Bawaba
17-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Al Bawaba
Is Texas banning anime that sexualizes underage characters?
Published March 17th, 2025 - 09:08 GMT ALBAWABA - A new Texas bill has sparked widespread debate on social media due to its possibility of criminalizing anime featuring underage characters in "obscene" ways. The bill was passed anonymously by several state senators. It's worth noting that Senate Bill 20's main focus isn't only anime but AI-generated cartoons or animations created with this type of material in mind. Many popular anime, manga, and games depict minors in "obscene" ways due to the target audience being of that age, so Texas might target several beloved franchises and titles. Texas Senators have unanimously passed a bill that, if signed into law, could make several games, anime, and manga series illegal to own in the state The bill bans any "obscene" depiction of a minor or someone who looks like one — Dexerto (@Dexerto) March 16, 2025 The statement was issued on March 12 and includes, "I named SB 20 as a priority because Texas law must do more to eliminate all types of child pornography and stop the crimes that result from it. SB 20 keeps Texas up to date with advancements in technology and cuts off any loopholes in the law to protect our kids." Several anime fans have expressed their disapproval of the new bill and wrote, "This could be extremely dangerous. Texas is the anime capital of the US. CR has its main studio in Dallas, same with HiDive and others. If this is not handled correctly and carefully, it could destroy anime in the US." Another added, "That's a very, very broad brush that will affect more than Anime. Disney better watch out with Tinkerbell for example. Obscene by whose standards?" Examples of anime featuring underage characters in "obscene" ways (Bleach Thousand-Year Blood War/ Tite Kubo/ Pierrot) For example, Persona is a video game franchise developed by Japanese developer Atlus. Most of its games take place in high school and allow players to date underage characters due to the main characters being similar in age. Moreover, the fourth and fifth installments bring up topics about the sexual exploitation of minors as an issue. Moreover, shonen anime such as Bleach, Naruto, Fire Force, Gurren Laggan, and many more showcase underage women characters in sexual ways due to the main demographic being Japanese males in their teens. The Monogatari series is definitely one of the most problematic since it depicts a +1000-year-old vampire as a child while the main character who is also a mi#tenor is showcased interacting indecently with child-like girls who are claimed to be over 18 in both the anime and light novels. © 2000 - 2025 Al Bawaba (
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Here's how the Texas Legislature is hoping to crack down on AI-generated child porn
The Texas Senate unanimously passed legislation Wednesday to outlaw AI-generated child sexual abuse material in a move lawmakers said will give police better tools to crack down on child exploitation. Senate Bill 20 by Sen. Pete Flores, R-Pleasanton, would criminalize the possession of obscene material appearing to depict a child, "regardless of whether the depiction is an image of an actual child, a cartoon or animation, or an image created using an artificial intelligence application or other computer software." Under the proposal, the offense would be a state jail felony but a charge could be upgraded for previous convictions. "Technology, whether through AI or other programs, has enabled child predators to produce material that is obviously so offensive, and I believe it has no redeeming value whatsoever," Flores said from the Senate floor Wednesday. "In fact, these materials are often used to groom and abuse children." Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the three-term Republican who presides over the Senate, designated SB 20 as a priority for the 89th Legislature and praised the chamber for its vote. "With the proliferation of AI-generated pornography, steps must be taken to protect Texans, and specifically children, from harmful computer-generated content and the crimes that arise from it," Patrick said in a statement. "I named SB 20 as a priority because Texas law must do more to eliminate all types of child pornography and stop the crimes that result from it." The Senate on Wednesday also approved SB 1621, a bill by Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, that would make additional changes to the penal code to tighten child pornography laws and includes a provision outlawing AI-generated child sexual abuse material. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas Senate OKs bills to crack down on AI-generated child porn
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Texas Senate passes bills to fight AI-generated sexual images of children, non-consenting adults
AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas Legislature is working on several bills that could introduce more protections against AI-generated explicit images used for harassment and the production of child sexual assault materials (CSAM). February: Bill to protect victims of deepfake 'revenge' porn passes US Senate The Texas Senate passed three such bills by unanimous votes on Wednesday. SB 20 and SB 1621 both update the state's statues against the possession of CSAM to include AI-generated content. SB 442 would update state law to consider AI-generated content as potentially unlawful production or distribution of sexually explicit video, if made without the consent of the person it depicts. NewsNation: What state laws protect kids against AI-generated deepfakes? Sen. José Menéndez, D-San Antonio, asked prior to the vote on SB 20 if it could take effect sooner than Sept. 1. 'There are not enough negative adjectives out there to describe people that would use a computer software animation or something to depict the child in some form of pornography or obscene visual material,' Menéndez said. 'I would like to see what we could do to get any material or any people that are possessing or creating this material to understand that they're going to be dealt with severely through the criminal justice system, and that we're not going to tolerate this.' A Texas law can only take immediate effect if more than two-thirds of both chambers vote in favor of the bill's final version. Sen. Tan Parker, R-Dallas, spoke about SB 20 prior to the vote. He is one of the bill's authors. 'The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence has created powerful tools that, while being beneficial in many areas, are being exploited to produce AI-generated and virtual [CSAM],' Parker said, 'Unlike traditional CSAM, which is already illegal, AI-generated images, videos and deep fakes depicting child exploitation exist in a legal gray area, allowing offenders to create and share disturbing content with impunity. This loophole must be closed immediately.' In addition to those two bills, the Texas House of Representatives is working on its own legislation to protect against AI misuse. On Wednesday, the House Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence committee heard testimony about House Bills 421 and 581. Both bills were authored by Rep. Mary González, D-El Paso, who chairs the Texas House LGBTQ Caucus. HB 421 would allow for victims of AI-generated explicit images to sue the creators of such images. If the lawsuit succeeds, the plaintiff could be rewarded exemplary damages. Rep. Armando Walle, D-Houston, also authored the bill. HB 581 also creates grounds for lawsuits; this time, against a commercial entity who creates an AI program that can create sexual material harmful to minors, which covers explicit images of adults. Businesses providing explicit AI-generation tools would need to comply with Texas' age verification law and have consent from the person whose likeness is used in the produced image. González told the committee that the House has 'a responsibility to do something' to combat the use of AI-generated CSAM. She said that her solutions, aimed at companies that create AI tools for explicit image creation, would likely inconvenience some in the tech sector. 'Here's what's happening — a kid, a 12-year-old girl, her picture is taken, and another student uses her picture and creates sexually explicit content. The kid goes to school, it's traumatic,' González said. 'If it stops a 12-year-old girl from being bullied because [someone] had created sexual content about her, then yeah, let's inconvenience some people, because the long term effects are completely harmful and traumatic.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
