Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti is among the bipartisan coalition of 44 state and territory attorneys general endorsing the Child Exploitation and Artificial Intelligence Expert Commission Act of 2024.
In September 2023, Skrmetti was part of a coalition of attorneys general that urged federal lawmakers to study and eventually propose legislation to protect children from being exploited through artificial intelligence (AI).
This week, @AGTennessee joined a 44-state bipartisan letter endorsing @RepLangworthy's Child Exploitation and A.I. Expert Commission Act of 2024:
"We need to ensure our children remain safe as this technology develops," said AG Skrmetti.
➡️https://t.co/U8XEVPH6UM pic.twitter.com/xTbG5E1CAd
— TN Attorney General (@AGTennessee) June 12, 2024
Seven months later, lawmakers acted and introduced the Child Exploitation and Artificial Intelligence Expert Commission Act of 2024, which would establish a commission to “investigate and make recommendations on solutions to improve the ability of a law enforcement agency to prevent, detect, and prosecute child exploitation crimes committed using artificial intelligence.”
The bill is sponsored by U.S. Representative Nick Langworthy (R-NY-23) and co-sponsored by a bipartisan 16-member coalition.
“We are pleased to see our request was heard and that you have worked diligently to introduce this legislation in an effort to protect America’s children,” the coalition, which includes attorneys general representing 41 states, Washington, DC, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, said in a letter to U.S. House leadership.
“AI can be an incredible tool in changing our world for the better, but there are loopholes for criminals to exploit. A knife or hammer is a useful tool in the right hands. But in the wrong hands, it’s a dangerous weapon. It’s the same with AI,” the attorneys general added. “We are hopeful the creation and work of this commission will result in appropriate safety measures and updates to existing laws so we can protect children from being digitally exploited and hold criminals accountable.”
Skrmetti, in a separate statement, said AI has “incredible potential to promote prosperity and stretch the limits of our creativity, but such powerful tools create the risk of serious abuse.”
“We need to ensure our children remain safe as this technology develops,” he added.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
