But what happens in California if someone uses AI for something even more nefarious, such as creating and distributing pornography using someone’s likeness without their consent?

Assemblymember Tri Ta, R-Westminster, wants to make that a crime punishable by up to one year in county jail or a fine of up to $1,000.

It’s already a crime in California to distribute images, meant to be private, of another person without their consent — often referred to as “revenge porn.” And a 2019 bill signed into law created a pathway for victims to sue someone who created sexually explicit or exposing content that he or she did not create or consent to, like photo-shopping their face on pornographic material.

Scheduled for a hearing in the Assembly’s Public Safety Committee next week, the legislation is meant to cover “deep fakes,” meaning content that has been digitally altered, generally maliciously, that is sexually explicit or otherwise pornographic in nature.

“Deep fakes, for example, make headlines for concerns around misinformation and fake news. But the reality is this is almost wholly a violence against women problem that does not get significant attention,” said Adam Dodge, a California attorney and the CEO of EndTAB, an organization that helps victims of online abuse.