A 35-year-old man from the greater Detroit area has been charged with multiple counts of child pornography possession after investigators allegedly discovered more than 40,000 illegal images on his electronic devices. The man was turned in to authorities by his wife after he told her that the child porn images were not illegal because they were generated by AI.
Fox 2 Detroit reports that Austin McCarty of South Lyon, Michigan, faces serious criminal charges including three counts of aggravated possession of child sexually abusive material and three counts of using a computer to commit a crime. The case originated from a report made by McCarty’s wife, who discovered a sexual image of a young girl on her husband’s computer on January 20, 2025.
When confronted about the disturbing discovery, McCarty allegedly told his wife that he had used an AI tool to generate sexually explicit deepfake images of children. This claim, however, did not prevent law enforcement from pursuing charges against him.
Following the initial report, police seized McCarty’s electronic devices for examination. The Oakland County Sheriff’s Department conducted a comprehensive year-long forensic analysis of the defendant’s electronics. This extensive investigation revealed the staggering number of more than 40,000 images of child sexually abusive material police claim were in McCarty’s possession.
Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald addressed the case and the involvement of artificial intelligence technology, emphasizing that the use of AI does not exempt individuals from criminal liability. “Even as technology changes, the laws against child sexually abusive material remain constant,” McDonald said. “It doesn’t matter if images are created with AI or a camera; they represent the abuse of children. We will hold accountable anyone who would harm and sexually exploit children, regardless of the technology they use.”