Albuquerque, NM – As part of a bipartisan coalition of 44 state and territory attorneys general, Attorney General New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez joined a letter sent by the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) to Rep. Nick Langworthy (R-NY) and U.S. House leadership endorsing the Child Exploitation and Artificial Intelligence Expert Commission Act of 2024. The Act was sponsored by Rep. Langworthy (R-NY) and co-sponsored by a bipartisan 16-member coalition.
“The creation of this commission is a vital step toward ensuring that the rapid advancements in artificial intelligence do not come at the expense of our children’s safety,” said Attorney General Raúl Torrez. “By working together, we can establish robust measures to prevent and prosecute child exploitation crimes committed through AI, safeguarding our communities and holding offenders accountable.”
The Act 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.”
In the letter, the attorneys general note that while AI can be a useful tool for changing the world for the better, it also carries risks. “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 wrote in the letter. “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.”
The Child Exploitation and Artificial Intelligence Expert Commission Act of 2024 was sponsored following a September 2023 letter coordinated by NAAG that was signed by 54 state attorneys general. That letter is available here.
Besides New Mexico, the South Carolina-led letter is co-sponsored in a bipartisan effort by Mississippi, North Carolina, and Oregon. They are also joined by Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
Today’s letter is attached here.
