WASHINGTON, DC (September 30, 2025) – The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) commended the introduction of the A.I. LEAD Act, a bipartisan bill that will establish a federal product liability framework to hold companies responsible for Artificial Intelligence (AI) harms. The A.I. LEAD Act was introduced yesterday by Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Josh Hawley (R-MO).
“Congress must pass the A.I. LEAD Act. AI technology should expedite innovation without increasing exploitation and abuse. Rapidly evolving AI technology has already caused significant harms to users, especially to children. Meta’s AI chatbots have been found to ‘engage a child in conversations that are romantic or sensual,’ and to give teens advice on how to plan a suicide, use drugs, and cyberbully their peers. xAI launched a sexualized chatbot, and Grok Imagine’s ‘spicy’ mode generated uncensored topless videos of celebrities like Taylor Swift. OpenAI was recently sued because the chatbot allegedly encouraged a teenage boy to commit suicide. These stories are horrific, and they are being caused by an industry that has rushed to roll out AI products without implementing safety measures. The A.I. LEAD Act rightly classifies AI as a product, not a service, ensuring that tech companies can be held liable for creating safety risks for users,” said Haley McNamara, Executive Director and Chief Strategy Officer, National Center on Sexual Exploitation.
“Countless major industries flourish and thrive when subject to product liability, from automotive, to consumer electronics, to medical device industries, and more. Product liability simply creates financial and reputational incentives for companies to design, manufacture, and market safer products. This is exactly what we need, and now is the critical time for Congress to act and ensure Americans are protected from the present and foreseeable harms caused by faulty AI products,” she said.
About National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE)
Founded in 1962, the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) is the leading national non-profit organization exposing the links between all forms of sexual exploitation such as child sexual abuse, prostitution, sex trafficking and the public health harms of pornography.
To schedule an interview with NCOSE, please contact press@ncose.com.
