NC HB 591 (AI CSAM, deepfake intimate images & sextortion)
North Carolina HB 591 (Modernize Sex Crimes / Session Law 2024-37)
North Carolina · N.C. Sess. Law 2024-37 (H.B. 591); N.C. Gen. Stat. 14-190.13, 14-202.7, 14-190.5A
- Status
- In effect
- Took effect
- December 1, 2024
- Applies to
- Any person in North Carolina; the prohibitions apply to anyone who produces, distributes, or possesses covered material or who engages in sexual extortion or non-consensual image disclosure.
- Enforced by
- North Carolina law enforcement and district attorneys (criminal prosecution); North Carolina courts.
North Carolina updated its sex-crime laws so that sexually exploitative images of children count even when they are digital or computer-generated, including depictions built, altered, or modified with technology such as algorithms or artificial intelligence. The law also makes it a crime to use someone's private sexual image, including an AI-generated one, as leverage: threatening to release such an image, or refusing to delete one already released, in order to pressure a person is treated as sexual extortion. It likewise extends the ban on sharing intimate images without consent to AI-generated intimate images.
Who is protected: Minors depicted in sexual exploitation material (including AI-generated/identifiable-minor depictions) and any individual targeted by sexual extortion or non-consensual disclosure of a private sexual image, including AI-generated images.
Legal detail
S.L. 2024-37 (H591) amended G.S. 14-190.13 and the sexual-exploitation offenses to include material created, adapted, or modified by technological means (including AI) so an identifiable minor appears engaged in sexual activity, created sexual-extortion offenses at G.S. 14-202.7, and expanded the disclosure-of-private-images offense (G.S. 14-190.5A) to cover AI-generated depictions.
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | North Carolina |
|---|---|
| Level | State |
| Strength | Limited |
| Enacted | July 8, 2024 |
| Citation | N.C. Sess. Law 2024-37 (H.B. 591); N.C. Gen. Stat. 14-190.13, 14-202.7, 14-190.5A |
| Penalties | Criminal penalties matching the relevant existing offenses: sexual exploitation of a minor offenses carry felony penalties; sexual extortion is generally a Class F felony and aggravated sexual extortion a Class E felony; non-consensual disclosure of a private image is generally a Class H felony for adults. |
| Topics | children's online safety · AI-generated images · non-consensual intimate imagery |
| Bill text | North Carolina Session Law 2024-37 (House Bill 591) |
More AI rules in North Carolina
- North Carolina Senate Bill 730 (Data Center Water and Cooling… · Proposed / pending
- NC AI Strategic Roadmap (released Jul. 1, 2026) · In effect
- North Carolina AG LivCor algorithmic rent settlement (2026) · In effect
- NC AG framework for a Duke data center rate class (2026) · Proposed / pending
- North Carolina AI Regulatory Reform Act (Deepfake/NCII Provisions) · Proposed / pending
- NC HB 469 (2017 AV statute) · In effect
Related children's online safety rules elsewhere
- PA v. Character.AI (Fake Psychiatrist Chatbot) · Blocked / in litigation
- RI AI Companion Self-Harm Safety (2026) · Enacted (not yet in effect)
- Kids Internet and Digital Safety Act (KIDS Act) (H.R. 7757) · Proposed / pending
- Oregon SB 1546 (AI companion chatbot disclosure + private right of action) · Enacted (not yet in effect)
- xAI v. Harwood (Grok NCII Counter-Suit 2026) · Blocked / in litigation
- Blanchester OH schools AI policy EDEC (Jun. 29, 2026) · In effect
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