Senator Bill Blessing highlights the influence of the powerful tech industry opposing strict AI regulations and emphasizes the bill's aim to target the root causes of AI misuse.

The legislation is currently in the Senate Judiciary Committee, with ongoing hearings, as Blessing stresses the need for regulation due to AI's risks and industry influence.

Ohio's Senate Bill 163 expands the state's definition of identity fraud to include malicious use of a person's likeness or persona, such as for fraud, reputation harm, or child exploitation.

The bill broadens protections by criminalizing the use of voice, image, or likeness for manipulative or harmful purposes, including sexual depiction and child exploitation.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost supports the bill, emphasizing its importance in protecting children, preventing fraud, and safeguarding public trust amid AI's growing influence.

Yost advocates for the legislation to address concerns over AI's lack of transparency and malicious use, aiming to protect individual liberties and child safety.

Senate Bill 163 proposes regulations for AI-generated images, requiring watermarks to indicate fabrication and criminalizing the removal of such watermarks to combat deepfake misuse.

The bill focuses on addressing deepfakes—fabricated images, videos, or audio—by establishing watermarking requirements and criminal penalties for tampering.

SB 163 is currently in the Senate Judiciary Committee, having undergone three hearings, with support from Attorney General Yost.

Sponsor Blessing emphasizes a dual approach of restricting consumer use and limiting AI producers' functions to prevent misuse.

Tech advocates, including TechNet, support the bill's goals but seek clearer liability language to hold creators and distributors accountable for harmful AI content.

The bill criminalizes creating or transmitting AI-generated depictions of minors as a third-degree felony and possessing simulated obscene material as a fourth-degree felony.

Blessing advocates for regulating both the consumer and producer sides of AI to limit the dissemination of harmful content.

Yost warns about AI's potential for misuse and stresses the need for safeguards to prevent manipulation and protect individual liberties.