A Quebec man who had in his possession a collection of child pornography images generated by artificial intelligence (AI) has been sentenced to nine months in prison at home, as experts anticipate a significant rise in this type of crime in the coming months.

“The files consist of computer-generated images and animated files in GIF form. There is no real person represented in these images and videos. […] The files depict children performing various sexual acts,” describes Quebec Court Judge Alexandre Tardif.

Marc-Antoine Charlebois, 25, was arrested in 2021 after being reported to the authorities by his own parents. The Drummondville resident had 235 files of AI-created child pornography and 1,500 images of real girls on his cell phone.

“He also admitted to feeling aroused by viewing these files, but maintains that he has no sexual urge when he sees young girls,” notes Judge Tardif... Source