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In February last year, an undercover investigator with the DHS Homeland Security Investigations unit used AI to generate images of a 13-year-old girl. They then sent her into some chatrooms for high schoolers in Portland, and successfully lured a grown man into chatting with her, according to a search warrant and charging documents reviewed by Forbes.

In her profile image on Kik—a social media app that has acquired a reputation as a popular hangout for pedophiles—the AI girl wore a simple dress. When a male user began asking her for more pictures, the investigator generated images of the girl. “Omg babe, you are gorgeous,” the man wrote, according to the warrant. He later sent pornographic images and child sexual abuse imagery as he attempted to groom her, the court documents show.

Investigators identified the man as Marcell Meyer, a 43-year-old South African citizen living in New York. He has been charged with distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and faces up to 20 years in prison. Meyer is yet to issue a plea and is innocent until proven guilty.

While criminal use of AI to generate CSAM has been a growing problem for law enforcement, the Meyer case gives a rare insight into how law enforcement is........

© Forbes