Steven Anderegg was arrested by the FBI for using Stable Diffusion AI to generate thousands of child sexual abuse images and sending them to a 15-year-old boy via Instagram.
Steven Anderegg, a 42-year-old man from Holmen, Wisconsin, was arrested by the FBI on federal charges for allegedly using Stable Diffusion, a text-to-image generative AI model, to create thousands of realistic images of prepubescent minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Evidence from his electronic devices showed he generated over 13,000 AI images using specific sexually explicit text prompts, with hundreds depicting nude or semi-clothed children. Anderegg allegedly communicated with a 15-year-old boy through Instagram, describing his process for creating the images and sending several AI-generated child sexual abuse images to the minor. He also used Instagram and Telegram to cultivate an online community of offenders to share these images. The case came to law enforcement attention when Instagram reported his account to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in November. A search warrant executed at his home in February revealed the Stable Diffusion program and specialized add-ons on his laptop. This marks one of the first known federal cases where someone has been charged for using AI to create child sexual abuse material. Anderegg faces four federal counts with a potential sentence of 5 to 70 years in prison.
Domain classification, causal taxonomy, severity scores, and national security assessments were LLM-classified and may contain errors.
Using AI systems to gain a personal advantage over others such as through cheating, fraud, scams, blackmail or targeted manipulation of beliefs or behavior. Examples include AI-facilitated plagiarism for research or education, impersonating a trusted or fake individual for illegitimate financial benefit, or creating humiliating or sexual imagery.
Human
Due to a decision or action made by humans
Intentional
Due to an expected outcome from pursuing a goal
Post-deployment
Occurring after the AI model has been trained and deployed