What happened

Steven Anderegg, a 42-year-old software engineer from Wisconsin, was arrested for allegedly producing and distributing over 13,000 AI-generated images of child sexual abuse using the Stable Diffusion image generator. 

Anderegg faces four counts of creating, distributing, and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and sending explicit content to a minor under 16, potentially facing up to 70 years in prison if convicted. 

The images were described as "hyper-realistic depictions of nude and semi-clothed prepubescent children" engaging in sexually explicit acts.

Why it happened

The incident occurred due to the misuse of Stable Diffusion, which Anderegg manipulated by installing specialised add-ons to create genitalia in the images.

The accessibility and capabilities of AI image generators have made it possible for individuals to produce realistic CSAM without involving real children.