Man jailed for downloading 'repulsive' AI-generated child abuse material in Tasmania

A man has been jailed for uploading and downloading AI-generated child abuse material in Tasmania - the first conviction of its kind in the state.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) reported an Australian-based user was downloading and saving child abuse material (CAM) from a website and social media platform, sparking an investigation in November 2022.

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) searched the man's home and seized "a number of electronic devices, including the man's computer" in May 2023.

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Police found hundreds of child abuse materials, including a significant amount generated by AI.

AFP Detective Sergeant Aaron Hardcastle said it was significant as it was the first time police had seized AI child abuse material in Tasmania.

"Child abuse material, is still child abuse material, no matter what form it takes," Hardcastle said.

"People may not be aware that online simulations, fantasy, text-based stories, animations and cartoons, including artificial intelligence-generated content depicting child sexual abuse are all still considered child abuse material under commonwealth legislation," he said.

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"Whether the image is AI-generated or depicts a real child victim, the material is repulsive and the Tasmania JACET Team, along with the AFP and its law enforcement partners, will continue to identify and locate those sharing this abhorrent content and put them before the courts."

The Gravelly Beach man, 48, plead guilty to possessing and accessing child abuse material at the Launceston Supreme Court on March 26.

He was jailed for two years with a non-parole period of 10 months.