Governor Whitmer Signs Bills to Protect Michiganders from Sexual Exploitation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 26, 2025

Contact: press@michigan.gov

Governor Whitmer Signs Bills to Protect Michiganders from Sexual Exploitation

Governor Whitmer also signed legislation honoring an officer who lost his life in the line of duty

LANSING, Mich.  – Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed three bipartisan bills that will help protect Michiganders from sexual harassment or exploitation by making it a crime to create and distribute harmful artificial intelligence (AI)-created images or videos which feature a specific person in sexual situations. She also signed a bipartisan bill honoring Deputy Sheriff William Butler, Jr. who lost his life in the line of duty in 2024. Including today’s legislation, Governor Whitmer has signed a record 1,512 bipartisan bills into law since taking office.

“As a county prosecutor, I went after people who used their power to prey on others,” said Governor Whitmer. “Now, as governor, I’m proud to sign these bipartisan bills into law, so we can protect Michiganders from this rising form of sexual exploitation. I’ll keep working with anyone to protect Michiganders from blackmail or retribution, because no one should have to live in fear. Together, let’s get it done.”

“Michiganders are facing artificial intelligence-driven sexual exploitation,” said Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II. “This is unacceptable. These bipartisan bills will institute penalties and protect the public from predators and abusers. Let’s continue Standing Tall to keep Michiganders safe.” 

House Bills 4047 and 4048, sponsored by state Representatives Matthew Bierlein (R-Vassar) and Penelope Tsernoglou (D-East Lansing), protect Michiganders from sexual harassment or exploitation and assault by prohibiting deep fakes that include harmful sexual content featuring a specific individual. Deep fakes use AI to create fake media, including videos, pictures, or audio recordings, depicting events that never happened. They have increasingly been used to create fake videos of real individuals in sexual situations. These videos can ruin someone’s reputation, career, and personal life. As such, these bills prohibit the creation of deep fakes that depict individuals in sexual situations and creates sentencing guidelines for the crime. These bills will keep Michiganders safer by protecting them from a rising form of harassment and exploitation. 

“I am so excited, proud, and relieved that because of these bills, it is now illegal for individuals to create or disseminate intimate deep fakes of an individual without their consent here in Michigan,” said State Representative Penelope Tsernoglou (D-East Lansing). “These bills mark the beginning stages of a long, bumpy journey that our state faces when trying to regulate artificial intelligence, yet my hope is that these bills will serve as another example that progress is possible when it comes to regulating AI.” 

“With the governor’s signature, Michigan is making it clear that non-consensual intimate deepfakes have no place in our state. This law protects the dignity and privacy of every citizen and gives victims the tools they need to seek justice,” said State Representative Matthew Bierlein (R-Vassar). “Technology should be used to improve lives, not to exploit them — and today we’ve taken an important step to ensure that.” 

Senate Bill 70, sponsored by state Senator Joseph Bellino (R-Monroe), designates a portion of M-34 in Hillsdale County as the "Deputy Sheriff William Butler, Jr. Memorial Highway." This change honors Deputy Sheriff William Butler, Jr., a member of the Hillsdale Sheriff’s Department, who lost his life in the line of duty after being shot during a traffic stop.

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