Soldier feeds pictures of kids to AI chatbot, creating child porn

A US soldier faces a maximum of 20 years in prison after using artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots to craft child sexual abuse material.

Court documents allege that Seth Herrera, 34, transported, received, and possessed media of children in violent sexual situations. Herrera also used AI chatbots to create images of children he knew.

According to Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, Herrera allegedly used AI tools to transform images of children into child pornography.

Herrera, who was stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, allegedly had tens of thousands of violent sexual images of children, including very young children.

The man was also allegedly found using encrypted messaging apps to find, receive, and download CSAM, the DoJ alleges.

Herrera will appear in court in August 2024. If convicted, he faces a minimum of five years in prison and a maximum of twenty years.