Chamber Forum: James Uthmeier says Florida is turning AI against child predators | #childpredator | #onlinepredator | #sextrafficing

The internet can be a wretched hive of scum and villainy, but Attorney General James Uthmeier says artificial intelligence is helping Florida clean it up one child predator at a time.
Uthmeier told business leaders that most child exploitation cases in the Sunshine State can be traced to online spaces. Law enforcement estimates as many as 2 in 3 begin there, and his office is adapting to the threat.
“We created an entirely new unit just focused on social media, gaming sites, chat rooms,” he told attendees at the Florida Chamber of Commerce’s 2026 Future of Florida Forum. “We’ve devoted new law enforcement personnel, tools, even using some AI for good.”
Uthmeier, an appointed Republican facing Democrat José Javier Rodríguez on Tuesday, has repeatedly targeted online platforms he says predators exploit, including the gaming platform Roblox and, more recently, chat app Discord.
Following activity across those platforms can be tedious for investigators, but Uthmeier said AI gives them a significant boost by rapidly scanning apps for phrases and behavioral patterns associated with predators, generating potential leads for further investigation.
Social apps are only one front of the battle — his Office also announced Wednesday it is suing the company behind the A2E AI platform, where Uthmeier said users “could put in a photo of any of you” and “convert it to pornography.” The lawsuit also alleges the platform has tools that can make adult subjects appear to be children, allowing users to generate sexual images involving minors.
“Technology can be a good thing. We use it for good,” Uthmeier said. “It should help mankind. It should not lead to our demise.”
But Uthmeier and Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods told the Chamber audience that law enforcement cannot confront the threat alone, and urged businesses to step up, citing tips from Uber and Starbucks that have led to arrests.
“Friends in other states are like, ‘You guys just have too many predators down there,’” Uthmeier said. “It’s like, no, we just actually go and get them.”

Source link

——————————————————–
Click Here For The Original Source.

Related