AUSTIN – Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick issued this statement today following the unanimous passage of Senate Bill 20, Stopping Artificial Intelligence (AI) Generated Child Pornography, by Sen. Pete Flores, R-Pleasanton:

“As Texas enters the digital age, our state must be very careful about our approach to artificial intelligence. With the proliferation of AI-generated pornography, steps must be taken to protect Texans, and specifically children, from harmful computer-generated content and the crimes that arise from it.

“I named SB 20 as a priority because Texas law must do more to eliminate all types of child pornography and stop the crimes that result from it. SB 20 keeps Texas up to date with advancements in technology and cuts off any loopholes in the law to protect our kids. I thank Sen. Flores for his diligent work to address this important issue.”

Senate Bill 20, by Sen. Pete Flores, creates a new state felony offense for the possession or promotion of obscene visual material that appears to depict a child younger than 18 years old, regardless of whether the depiction is of an actual child, cartoon or animation, or an image created using AI or other computer software.