Arabic version: سجن رجل من أستراليا الغربية بسبب مواد استغلال مُنشأة بالذكاء الاصطناعي

According to ABC News, Matthew John Woodward, 41, has been sentenced in the WA District Court to four-and-a-half years in prison for using artificial intelligence to create child exploitation material. He must serve two-and-a-half years before becoming eligible for parole and was fined $2,500 for offensive material charges.

Woodward pleaded guilty to 26 charges, including indecent recording and producing, creating and possessing child exploitation material. He also pleaded guilty to five charges of possessing indecent or obscene articles. Judge Belinda Lonsdale said images generated by AI were “simply appalling” and that deterrence was needed against using the technology to make exploitative material.

The court heard Woodward was working for a company providing technical support for employees at Fiona Stanley Hospital at the time of the offending. He used encrypted messaging applications to send sexual material to co-accused Matthew and Luke Parcej, as well as to a covert police operative.

A police raid on Woodward’s Wanneroo home found a large amount of child exploitation material and videos of bestiality. Judge Lonsdale said Woodward had incorporated images of real victims and manipulated them with AI tools. His lawyer, Margot Perling, said he had an autism diagnosis and had lived much of his life online. The judge said Woodward had no prior criminal history and was highly motivated not to reoffend.