Genesee County man charged with creating A.I. child porn using minor's photo off social media
Trevor Klinert of Clio (Provided by the Genesee Human Oppression Strike Team)
GENESEE COUNTY, Mich. (FOX 2) - A 25-year-old man is accused of using multiple artificial intelligence porn generators to create child pornography using the face of at least one victim.
"It's the G.H.O.S.T. team's first artificial intelligence child pornography case ever," Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson said in a press conference posted to Facebook on Wednesday.
Trevor Klinert of Clio allegedly took a photo of a child that was posted on social media and put it into 112 A.I. generating websites to create the illegal and explicit photos.
"It's shocking to parents that somebody could have a photo that was posted innocently, and a predator can give it to an A.I., in this case 112 websites –112 A.I. generating websites– to filter what he felt was the best way to present his victim, fantasized," Swanson said.
Klinert is facing four counts of aggravated child sexually abusive activity and four counts of using a computer to commit a crime. He is currently being held on a $300,000 cash bond.
The Genesee Human Oppression Strike Team (G.H.O.S.T) is a special task force that aims to keep offenders off the streets.
"It started as a sextortion case in Ohio," said Genesee County Sgt. Jim Duhart, who worked on the case. "We got consent to search the (suspect's) phone. We started looking into the phone, and lo and behold, now I'm looking at child pornography on his phone. We built the case from there."
Swanson said Klinert threatened to use the child porn he generated against someone. That person came forward to police, who then launched an investigation.
Police were able to conduct a forensic download of everything that had ever been on the suspect's phone.
"This guy's already got a conviction in 2017," Swanson said.
Klinert previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced to one year in prison in 2017 for using a computer to commit a crime.
"A.I. is here, and it's here to stay, and these types of cases are not gonna end," Swanson added.
G.H.O.S.T. expert Sgt. Tory Dallas warned parents to be careful about what they post online when it comes to their children.
"Technology is going to change, but the commitment to protect our children and those vulnerable – that is not going to change," Dallas said. "Take inventory of your social media. Predetors like these, they're hungry. They're hungry for images. Stop feeding them."