WASHINGTON, DC (June 24, 2025) – The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) is calling on the U.S. Senate to reject the AI moratorium provision in the budget bill, as states would be prohibited from passing new laws or enforcing current laws around artificial intelligence for ten years.
“The AI moratorium in the budget bill is a Trojan horse that will end state efforts to reign in sexual exploitation and other harms caused by artificial intelligence. This provision is extremely reckless, and if passed, will lead to further weaponization of AI for sexual exploitation. Children and adults alike are already being harmed by AI. A 10-year pause on AI legislation would tie the hands of states and law enforcement trying to protect victims and let abusers operate unchecked,” said Haley McNamara, Senior Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and Programs, National Center on Sexual Exploitation.
AI is already causing harm in the following ways:
- “Nudifying apps” that strip clothes off photos of women
- Predators creating AI-generated child sexual abuse material, or teens creating this material of their peers
- AI chatbots engaging in sexually explicit conversations with minors, or entertaining child sexual abuse roleplay
- Traffickers exploring AI tools to groom and sextort minors at scale
“Many states have already passed laws to confront harms caused by AI. States must be allowed to act swiftly to protect constituents from these exploding dangers. The Senate must reject the AI moratorium in this budget bill and reject any other attempts by Big Tech to shield themselves from product liability,” McNamara 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.
