The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Friday that an East Texas man has been arrested on suspicion of using artificial intelligence to create deepfake pornography depicting more than 50 people.
Arturo Hernandez, 20, of Bedias in Grimes County, is suspected of publishing 113 online albums of pornographic content over the course of about a year, each containing AI-generated videos of public figures and private citizens engaging in sexually explicit acts, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. His online content has been viewed nearly 1 million times.
Hernandez and New Jersey man Cornelius Shannon, 51, were charged Friday with violating the Take It Down Act, which prohibits the nonconsensual publication of AI-generated deepfake pornography. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said he could face up to two years in prison if convicted.
“The individuals arrested today are accused of participating in a scheme to create and distribute vile deepfake pornography using artificial intelligence,” FBI Assistant Director James Barnacle said in a statement. “Using this emerging technology to victimize individuals is not innovative. It is a crime and will be pursued with the full force of the law.”
According to the criminal complaint, Hernandez allegedly posted AI-generated pornography using still images of real people, including celebrities, female politicians, and civilians.
In one instance, Hernandez allegedly posted yearbook-style portraits of female students to an album that was later transformed into videos of those students naked and in sexual positions. Another album contained an AI-generated video of a civilian wearing a graduation gown having sex with a man, federal prosecutors said.
Federal prosecutors said some of the images in Hernandez’s album matched images posted on social media by individuals Hernandez follows on Instagram.
Hernandez will be arraigned in the Eastern District of New York, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
