Telecom Employee Risto Bergman Receives Sentence for Creating AI-Generated Child Exploitation Images
A telecom employee has been sentenced for producing AI-generated images depicting child sexual abuse. Risto Bergman, 42, originally from Finland, employed a legitimate artificial intelligence application to create indecent images of young girls being harmed.
According to Scotland’s Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), the images were “so realistic” that they could easily be mistaken for genuine photographs. Bergman reportedly utilized sexually explicit search terms while using the app, which then generated these “distressing images” by referencing a “digital library” of hundreds of actual child abuse images previously shared online by offenders.
Images found on a computer storage device in Bergman’s Paisley residence included some categorized as category A, showcasing the most severe forms of child sexual abuse. After having moved from Renfrewshire to Argyll and Bute, Bergman pleaded guilty last month to creating indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of children.
He appeared in Paisley Sheriff Court on Monday, where he received an 18-month Community Payback Order (CPO). His name has also been added to the sex offenders’ register.
David Bernard, the procurator fiscal for north Strathclyde, emphasized that Bergman’s actions produced illicit material that both exploited children and fueled ongoing abuse. He stated, “This is by no means a victimless crime. Bergman’s depraved actions effectively encouraged those who abuse children to continue their activities. Artificial intelligence apps draw upon online images of real children being subjected to sexual abuse. Behind every AI-generated ‘pseudo-photograph’ of abuse are real-life child victims. Bergman made himself a participant in that process.”
