The commander of North Dakota's Bureau of Criminal Investigation Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force warned Thursday that artificial intelligence is significantly intensifying threats to children online, contributing to altered imagery, easier impersonation and a rising volume of tips to investigators.
Investigators see growing volume and new tools for exploitation
Special Agent Cassidy Halseth told members of the state's Artificial Intelligence & Data Center Committee in Minot that while technology has reshaped criminal behavior across generations, AI is accelerating an existing problem rather than creating one from scratch.
"AI is not creating a new problem — it is supercharging an existing one," Halseth said.
Halseth said his team handled 2,698 online cyber tips last year — an all-time high for tips submitted directly to the BCI — and noted that figure does not include other investigative leads. He described multiple ways offenders are leveraging AI in investigations: benign photos can be manipulated to appear sexual, perpetrators can adopt convincing false online personas, and the scope of sextortion has broadened.
Specific harms and investigative challenges
According to Halseth, AI-driven tools lower the technical barrier for offenders. What previously required technical skill or specialized software can now be done more easily, increasing the scale and speed of criminal activity aimed at young people. He highlighted three trends investigators are seeing:
- AI-altered images that transform otherwise innocent photos into sexually explicit material;
- Fraudulent online identities that facilitate grooming and deception; and
- Expanded sextortion campaigns and harassment that exploit private images or AI-generated content.
Those developments, Halseth said, carry unique harms. Even when AI-generated child sexual abuse material depicts acts that never occurred, it can still deeply affect the child whose likeness or identity was used without consent. He urged that the emotional and legal consequences for victims are substantial regardless of whether an image was fabricated.
Policy forum focuses on child safety and education
The comments came during the committee's second meeting, held in Minot and livestreamed on the state's legislative website. The all-day session included seven presenters with varied backgrounds and public comments from attendees. Much of the discussion centered on protecting children and educating families and communities about AI risks.
Speakers and commenters at the meeting singled out concerns about children engaging with AI chatbots as companion tools and the misuse of generative technologies to produce child sexual abuse material. Halseth and other presenters emphasized prevention, reporting and technical awareness as central to reducing harms.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Cyber tips to North Dakota BCI (last year) | 2,698 |
Halseth cautioned that, because AI can be used to convincingly alter images and simulate people online, investigations become more complex. Law enforcement must determine whether a child was directly harmed, whether an image is fabricated, and how a suspect procured or created the material — all while balancing victim privacy and the public interest.
State and local officials attending the meeting discussed how to adapt investigative practices and public education to account for AI's role in online exploitation. The BCI commander framed AI's influence as part of a broader historical pattern in which new technologies change the tools and scale of criminal conduct.
As legislators and agency leaders consider policy responses, Halseth's testimony underscores a recurring challenge for law enforcement nationwide: technological advances can both aid investigations and provide new capabilities to offenders, requiring updated training, resources and public outreach to protect children.
