On the recordJuly 23, 2024
Madam President, I have some good news for the Senate. Before we adjourn this evening, I would like to celebrate two significant bills that just passed the Senate two moments ago. First, just now, the Senate unanimously passed a bill to combat the spread of sexually explicit AI-generated deepfakes, the DEFIANCE Act. I commend Senator Durbin for his excellent work on this bill. I was proud to support it every step of the way, and it is a very, very important thing we get this bill done. As we know, AI plays a bigger role in our lives than ever before. While it has many benefits, it is also easier than ever to create sexually explicit deepfakes without a person's consent. It is a horrible attack on someone's privacy and dignity to have these fake images of them circuiting online without recourse. This isn't just some fringe issue that happens to only a few people. It is a widespread problem. These types of malicious and hurtful pictures can destroy lives. Nobody is immune, not even celebrities like Taylor Swift or Megan Thee Stallion. It is a grotesque practice. Victims of these deepfakes are deserved justice. This is one of the examples of the AI guardrails I often talk about. AI is a remarkable technology that can spur incredible innovation, but we must pass guardrails to prevent its worst abuses from causing people grave harm. By passing this bill, we are telling victims of explicit nonconsensual deepfakes that we hear them and we are taking action.…





