Missouri lawmakers are considering seven bills to regulate the misuse of artificial intelligence, including a proposal known as “The Taylor Swift Act” that would criminalize the creation of non-consensual deepfakes.
The legislative push comes as Missouri remains one of only three states in the country without specific laws regarding the abuse of AI. Lawmakers have spent two years attempting to pass these regulations as deepfake technology becomes increasingly common.
The Swift Act, which is currently in the state Senate, focuses on protecting minors from digital exploitation.
The bill proposes that any person who creates a fake digital depiction of a person under the age of 18 without their consent could face criminal charges. If the image damages the victim’s reputation, the creator could be sentenced to prison time.
Under the proposed legislation, the creator of a deepfake can still be prosecuted even if they include a disclaimer stating that the image is fake.
Lawmakers have been attempting to pass this specific measure for the past two years to address concerns regarding the weaponization of artificial intelligence.
The legislation is named after singer Swift, who was a victim of sexually explicit deepfake images a few years ago. While the images were fake, they were widely shared across the internet, raising concerns that the depictions could damage her reputation, as some viewers believed them to be real.
Missouri is currently joined by Alaska and Ohio as the only states that have not yet passed laws to address the abuse of artificial intelligence.
While there are several bills in the Legislature focused on AI, the Swift Act specifically targets the victimization of minors.
The state-level efforts follow federal action taken by Congress. Last year, lawmakers passed the Take It Down Act to punish those who create fake images, specifically fake sexually explicit images, to victimize other people.
State officials hope tech companies will monitor and remove deepfakes, but these laws allow prosecutors to punish those who create the images.
The Missouri Legislature will continue to review the seven pending bills during the current session. Lawmakers will determine if any of the measures, including the Swift Act, will be enacted into law.
