Policy Text
Roll Call Training Bulletin
Produced by: Sgt. Andy Hall, Investigations Katherine Lester , Chief of Police
Prepared by: PSU Volume 129
Child Sexual Abuse Material
Generated by Artificial Intelligence
10/18/2023
With the emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms criminals are unfortunately already putting them to use to
further their nefarious purposes. One of the most recent issues law enforcement has encountered are AI generated Child
Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM , aka Child Pornography ) images and videos. There are some misconceptions when it
comes to the legality of this type of photo- realistic imagery that does not actually depict a real child. Despite attempts of
some activist groups to argue that the creation of realistic looking CSAM is protected speech under the First Amendment,
the US Department of Justice has been successfully prosecuting these cases under a variety of federal statutes.
NOTE: under most circumstances, cartoon or Hentai -type CSAM video and imagery are considered protected
speech and are not a violation of Federal or State Law.
NOTE THIS TOO: with that said, in some instances a 290 PC registrant can be found to be in violat ion of their
registration status if they are in possession of cartoon and/or Hentai -type CSAM. When in doubt, give SACA a
call.
Long story short, CSAM that has been produced by AI, “deep fakes” , or other fictitious but realistic in appearance CSAM
images a nd videos can constitute a violation of United States Federal Law. Sadly, California law does not prohibit this
type of material at this time, although there are efforts underway to correct this glaring mistake.
If you encounter this type of material in t he field, please document it thoroughly and if you can lawfully seize the devices
the materials are saved on, please do so. Do not hesitate to contact the on- call SACA Sgt. or Detectives with any
questions or concerns.
Below are examples of the realistic nature of AI generated images and videos.
In this video we have a deep fake from the movie Pulp Fiction…except they have superimposed Jerry Seinfeld’s face on
the character.
https://youtu.be/S1MBVXkQbWU
In this video we see a young Arnold Schwarzenegger’s face superimposed on the body of one John Rambo from Rambo
III, circa 1988 .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPzDeEtHucU