In spite of the pain and anguish she endured at the age of 14, this young woman says she did not want to wear a victim’s badge.
“Instead, I decided to fight for my rights and pursue the justice so many called impossible,” said Francesca Mani.
Mani, a 16-year-old student at Westfield High School, has been a champion of what is now a State law against AI deepfake pornography.
“If you are going to create a non-consensual deepfake, if you are going to solicit one, and if you are going to distribute it, you are now going to be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” said NJ Attorney General Matt Platkin. “You’ll face up to five years in prison.”
On Wednesday in Newark, Governor Phil Murphy signed the bipartisan legislation into law.
“This is a historic day,” said Murphy (D-NJ). “I want to thank Francesca, especially, her mom, for standing up so strongly, for being so determined.”
It was the summer of 2023 when someone generated a sexually explicit deepfake image of Francesca Mani. She says the person behind it only got a one-day suspension.
“When I pressed administration, ‘why not enforce your own code of conduct?” They shrugged and said, ‘there are no AI laws, so we can’t.’ My response? ‘Then I’ll bring you a law,’” said Mani. “Well, Westfield High School, this one’s for you.”
Westfield public schools Superintendent, Dr. Raymond Gonzalez, told PIX11 news in a statement:
“We welcome the new legislation regarding AI deep fakes. Alongside the district’s updated policies and student code of conduct, this legislation offers important safeguards against the misuse of artificial intelligence. We remain committed to protecting and educating our students in an increasingly complex digital world.”
The Mani family’s work will not end here in New Jersey; they say it will continue in Washington, where a similar bill is now at the federal level.
“Hopefully it will pass without any changes and we’ll have a federal law as well,” said Dorota Mani, Francesca’s mother.
Source: https://pix11.com/
