Boulder man arrested for creating AI-generated child sexual abuse material
A 72-year-old Boulder man was arrested after using PicsArt's AI photo editing tools to create sexually explicit images of children by manipulating real photographs. The case was investigated by the Boulder County Digital Forensics Lab following a report from PicsArt to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and represents one of the lab's first full investigations involving generative AI-created child sexual abuse material.
What happened
Daniel Fairchild, 72, used PicsArt to generate sexually explicit images of children by uploading photos of real children and using AI to create nude and sexually exploitative versions of them. On January 15, a search warrant was issued for his home in Boulder, Colorado, and after investigators searched his electronic devices, an arrest warrant was issued.
Fairchild was arrested on Friday and turned himself in to the Boulder County Jail, where he was held on a $50,000 cash surety bond. He faces 11 counts of producing sexually exploitative material of a child, 11 counts of possessing images of sexual exploitation of a child, and a sentence enhancer for an extraordinary risk crime involving someone under the age of 12.
Reported impact
The Boulder County Sheriff's Office stated this was one of the first full investigations by the Boulder County Digital Forensics Lab involving generative AI to create child sexual abuse material.
Index analysis
PicsArt's automated detection systems flagged the account with explicit content and notified the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which then provided information to the Colorado Internet Crimes Against Children task force and referred the case to the Boulder County Digital Forensics Lab.
Governance controls
PicsArt made a report to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children after flagging the account and images, as required by state and federal laws. The Boulder County District Attorney stated: 'Unfortunately, this type of conduct occurs in every community, and it is deeply troubling to see individuals exploiting technology to create CSAM-generated images of children.'
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.