Committee discusses bill to close loophole on deepfakes that depict minors in sexually explicit images

Senators considered House Bill 581, which aims to close a gap in Texas law related to AI‑generated deepfake images, especially sexually explicit images that use the likeness of minors.

Senator Hughes, presenting the bill as Senate sponsor, said technological advances let bad actors create realistic images and videos that depict people in actions they did not do or consent to. He said existing laws protect children depicted in actual images, but “for artificial intelligence, there's no protection for children” and “this bill will address it.”

Under the bill, websites or tool providers that host or enable deepfake content would be required to verify that users are over 18 or have verified parental permission before allowing uploads that use another person’s face; providers also would need to verify that depicted subjects are at least 18 and consented to use of their likeness. The sponsor framed the measure as targeted to protect children from AI‑generated sexual material.

The committee opened public testimony and called a witness but recorded no extended public comment in the provided transcript. The bill was left pending for further consideration.