Two men charged with creating AI-generated porn under new law targeting ‘deepfakes’

Federal prosecutors have charged two men with using artificial intelligence to create and distribute sexually explicit deepfake images and videos of women under the Take It Down Act, a law signed by President Donald Trump last year. Cornelius Shannon, 51, a resident of New Jersey, and Arturo Hernandez, 20, of Texas, were arrested Tuesday for generating AI pornography that accumulated millions of online views, according to criminal complaints. The law, backed by bipartisan support and First Lady Melania Trump, imposes stricter penalties for publishing AI-generated deepfakes and revenge porn, with defendants now facing up to two years in prison. Shannon allegedly published at least 240 albums of AI-generated pornography featuring female politicians, musicians, and singers, while Hernandez’s content included deepfakes of celebrities as well as private women, including recent high school graduates. U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella stated that the men used advanced digital technology to create images that degraded and violated dozens of women, emphasizing that deepfake pornography is not a victimless crime. The arrests follow a rising trend of AI-generated explicit content, raising concerns about its online proliferation, often involving minors. Last month, an Ohio man became the first person convicted under the Take It Down Act after pleading guilty to creating child sexual abuse material using AI. In March, two Pennsylvania teenagers received probation for generating explicit AI images of their classmates, while three Tennessee high school students sued Elon Musk’s xAI, claiming its Grok tools morphed their real photos into sexually explicit images. The Tennessee students are seeking class-action status to represent thousands of alleged victims.