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Maine House approves emergency measure to criminalize AI-generated child sexual abuse material
Summary
The Maine House on Feb. 24 approved an emergency bill to let law enforcement charge people who create, possess or distribute child sexual abuse material produced or altered by artificial intelligence, voting 128–0 to enact the measure and send it to the Senate.
The Maine House of Representatives on Feb. 24 passed an emergency measure that makes it a crime to create, possess or distribute child sexual abuse material generated or altered using artificial intelligence.
The bill's sponsor, the representative from Falmouth, told the chamber the change "closes a gap in current law by amending Maine CSAM statutes to keep up with this emerging technology" and described committee work that led to a unanimous report. Supporters framed the measure as a necessary update so law enforcement can hold perpetrators accountable for AI-enabled exploitation.
Representative McIntyre and others praised the committee's expedited work and urged colleagues to treat the bill as an emergency measure. The clerk announced a roll-call result of 128 voting in the affirmative and 0 opposed; the Chair declared the bill passed as an emergency measure and ordered it sent to the Senate for concurrence.
The measure is billed as a second phase of the judiciary committee's effort to address AI-generated abuse material in statute. Sponsors said it does not create novel sexual-offense categories beyond existing child sexual abuse material law but adapts statutory language to cover content produced or altered by artificial intelligence.
The House action sends the emergency-enacted bill to the Senate; if the Senate concurs and the governor signs the law, it will take effect as an emergency enactment without delay.
