COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — Ohio lawmakers have introduced a bill that would crack down on AI, including through requiring a watermark on anything that is generated by artificial intelligence.
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An Ohio bill calls for AI watermarks and criminalizes ‘simulated obscene material’ of kids
By: Sarah Donaldson | Statehouse News Bureau
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A further-along proposal that includes similar child sexual abuse material provisions is making its way through the Kentucky General Assembly this legislative session.Blessing introduced SB 217 with Sen. Terry Johnson (R-McDermott) in late January, Blessing said, after Attorney General Dave Yost’s office reached out in the fall about getting a bill drafted. Yost has already publicly backed the proposal.“Child pornography has long been outlawed in Ohio, but the unchecked rise of AI has created a gray area for predators to fuel their sick fantasies,” he said in a news release.
So far, one Democrat—Sen. Catherine Ingram (D-Cincinnati)—is cosponsoring SB 217.
Blessing said emerging, and constantly changing tech, can be like Whac-A-Mole. “It’s not something that’s easy to legislate because the regulatory terrain here is so new,” he said.
The bill is narrowly tailored, he said—it wouldn’t target two consenting adults who might create AI pornography. But another set of provisions in the bill would prohibit using someone’s voice or likeness without their permission “for malicious purposes,” making it a crime as well.
SB 217 was referred to the senate judiciary committee in February but has not yet been scheduled for a hearing.