A Georgia man has been charged with multiple counts of sexual exploitation of children for allegedly possessing artificial intelligence created nude photographs of minors, authorities said Wednesday.
The Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office said the suspect, Ronald Richardson, could be charged with additional similar charges. He remains in jail as of Wednesday evening, officials said.
A Gilmer High School student reported on Dec. 3 that Richardson, who refilled vending machines at the school, asked her to send him pictures through social media, the sheriff’s office said. The student felt that was inappropriate and notified a school resource officer. The officer reported the information to the school’s administration and to the Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division.
All of the sexually explicit photographs Richardson allegedly had came from normal screenshots he got from social media and were altered to make nude using artificial intelligence, the sheriff’s office said. The investigation is ongoing.
“[T]his is the first case in which artificial intelligence has factored into an investigation like this for the Gilmer Sheriff’s Office. Unfortunately, I doubt it will be the last,” Sheriff Stacy Nicholson said in a statement.
The sheriff’s office said it took some time to identify the victims and several minors. Some minors and their parents have yet to be notified. The sheriff’s office hopes to notify all victims and parents in the next 48 hours and asked anyone with information regarding the case to call 706-635-4646.
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