Law & Order Special Victims Unit s27e04 Episode Script
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1
In the criminal justice system,
sexually based offenses
are considered especially heinous.
In New York City, the
dedicated detectives
who investigate these vicious felonies
are members of an elite squad
known as the Special Victims Unit.
These are their stories.
Wait, yes. I love that one. [LAUGHTER]
No, Ricky, you can't DoorDash
an order of wings to the museum.
- Come on. Back in.
- Oh!
Hey, Sofia, Poppy.
Back in your seats
before someone gets hurt.
[LAUGHTER] Now. Thank you.
No, Mom. I don't wanna study medicine.
I wanna teach. I wanna work with kids.
[ENGINE REVS, BRAKES SCREECH]
[PEOPLE SCREAMING]
[TENSE MUSIC]
You okay?
- Rick, you okay?
- Think so.
Skylar, you good? Help open the door.
Listen up. Is anybody too hurt to move?
Okay, good.
We're gonna calmly exit the bus,
cross the street, and
line up on the sidewalk.
Is that clear?
Let's go. One by one. Single file. Yes.
Hey, let's go. Let's
go. Come on. You can do it.
Let me see your hand.
Ow. Is it bad?
It's not too deep.
We'll get it looked at.
Just keep applying pressure, okay?
- Okay.
- Keep holding onto that.
Anyone else with cuts? Bruises?
- Uh, Ms. Reed?
- Yeah?
Penny, what's wrong?
[GROANING]
- [WORDS ECHOING] Whoa.
- Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Penny. Hey, talk to me.
I appreciate you humoring
my monthly check-in.
I'm sure you'd rather spend
downtime with the family.
How old is your son?
Uh, Noah is 15.
And he is he's a good kid.
Do you do you have kids?
Oh, no.
Um, that wasn't in the cards for me.
Mm.
One benefit of working at 1PP
in, say, a newly created deputy
chief position is schedule.
Reasonable hours,
more time with the fam.
Chief Tynan,
I think I've been very
clear with you about this.
I'm just I'm not
looking for a desk job.
[SOFT PIANO MUSIC PLAYING]
I can tell.
You're out in the field more than
any other captain in the department.
I'm out in the field because
victims are in the field.
And that is where I'm the most useful.
So I'm offering you something
that you'll never want.
Pretty much.
Good to know.
[CHUCKLES SOFTLY] Amanda Rollins.
What about her?
Well, you're down another
detective with Velasco leaving.
Would you be interested
in reacquiring Rollins?
I didn't know that she
was looking for a move.
My sources say she's shopping around.
Captain, I'm not trying to play you.
[CHUCKLING] Sure you are.
If anything, at most,
I'm trying to get you to like me.
I know you take care of your people,
and they are certainly loyal to you.
I see no downside to
shifting her back to SVU.
Do you?
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
♪
Hi. We're looking for our daughter.
Jesus.
Hi. Our daughter is here.
- Penny Wilson.
- Penny Wilson.
- Mr. and Mrs. Wilson?
- Yeah.
Are you Penny Wilson's parents?
- Please, what's happening?
- Yeah. Where's our daughter?
She came in with severe hemorrhaging
and was rushed into
surgery when she arrived.
We're doing all we can to stabilize her.
- Oh, my God. Oh, my God.
- Is she gonna be okay?
Penny suffered a rupture
of her fallopian tube.
Lost almost 2 liters of blood.
Her situation is grave.
Uh, these are detectives
Bruno and Griffin.
They're with NYPD Special Victims Unit.
Special victims? Why?
The hospital called
us due to Penny's age
and the nature of her injuries.
What are you saying?
Did you know your daughter was pregnant?
♪
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
Penny never even mentioned boys,
dating, nothing like that.
No, no.
If if she had a boyfriend,
we would have known.
She's only 13.
Have you noticed her hanging
out with any new people,
new places?
- Uh
- Not really.
She has school, a few extracurriculars.
So we both we both work,
so sometimes, we're
not home until dinner.
But no, we trust our daughter.
She's a she's a good kid.
None of this makes sense.
And I promise you
we're doing everything we
can to get you some answers.
Whatever you need to
help our little girl.
Okay.
[SIGHS] How's she doing?
Penny's still in surgery. No change.
If we're lucky,
docs will be able to pull
DNA from the fetal remains.
Okay, well, if we get the DNA,
then we can test his against it.
What was your take on the father?
Seemed appropriately
upset and forthcoming.
Not sure if he's our guy.
Obviously, we can't rule him out.
Yeah. I have the same read.
Meanwhile, I'll go to Penny's
school and see what I can find.
I'm confused.
The other detectives cleared
our school of any wrongdoing.
We're not here about the bus accident.
We're actually here about Penny Wilson.
Yeah, we'd like to speak
with her teachers and friends.
Oh, well, it goes without saying
that the thoughts and prayers
of the entire Lansdowne
family are with Ms. Wilson.
But the board of trustees won't
allow police to roam the halls.
It's far too disruptive.
Apologies.
Okay. Sure.
Yeah, I get that.
Uh, it might be better for everyone
if we go straight to a judge.
Yeah, I I agree. I mean,
if your hands are tied,
then I think the best course of action
would be to get a warrant.
Yeah, it's gonna make this
a matter of public interest.
Yeah, and just so you
know, that means press.
That means questions.
A lot of attention.
If your board doesn't want you
These are exceptional circumstances.
I think they'd understand.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
♪
I think that's a bio report.
It was due this morning,
but I can turn it in so
she doesn't get a zero.
Great. Uh, thanks.
You're you're friends with Penny?
I guess.
Not really. She's just in my homeroom.
Okay, great. Thank you.
- You're police?
- I am.
I'm I'm here to help Penny.
Yeah. She's cool.
Always says hi in the hall.
Nice.
- Not everybody does that.
- Yeah.
Doesn't deserve the crap
people are saying about her.
What, uh, what kind of crap
are people saying about her?
There's this group of guys
in my grade, real dickweeds.
They've been sending around some
really messed-up photos of Penny.
It never gets easier,
for what it's worth.
I don't even how the hell
do you guys handle this stuff?
- Don't have kids.
- Okay. What do we got?
Almost a dozen nude photos of
Penny passed around by students
at the school through
texts, DMs, emails.
Some are selfies.
Others are, uh, are pictures of her
engaged with, uh, with an adult male.
David Huxley, 32, teaches
music at Lansdowne.
He's been there six years,
has a good rep amongst faculty,
- popular with the students.
- I bet.
Not much else on him. No priors.
- Lives off Steinway in Astoria.
- Okay.
I found one thing that
smells a bit hinky.
Local profile from
his first teaching gig.
School up in Westchester.
Huxley was doing great.
Pulled tenure within a couple of years.
- So a rising star.
- Right.
Then seven months later, school releases
a detail-free announcement
that he's resigned.
Some teachers wait a
decade to make tenure.
- Why walk away?
- Who cares? We got the photos.
Let's arrest the perv.
Uh, well, look, I I really
do appreciate your eagerness
to pull him off the street,
but but first we need
to build a case against him
that will actually stick,
so I will talk to Penny's parents.
You two follow up on
this Westchester case
and if it is what it seems to be,
then then you pick him up.
The docs are hopeful she'll
wake up in the next day or two,
but, um, they can't be sure.
- You mentioned photos.
- I did.
They're gonna be
pretty upsetting to see.
Some of these are already
confirmed to be Penny,
but some of them, we can't see faces,
so if you just take a look
and tell me if there's
anything that you recognize.
[TENSE MUSIC]
[GASPS]
That's her. Penny.
- You're sure?
- The scrunchie on her wrist.
Wait, that was him, the teacher?
Okay, so tell me what
you know about Mr. Huxley.
- He's a music teacher at the school.
- Mm-hmm.
Penny was freshman
year is a big jump,
so we thought learn an instrument,
make some friends. We didn't know.
He has this after-school rock band club.
- We signed her up for it.
- Hey, come on.
Mrs. Wilson.
You did nothing to
cause this, all right?
Predators manipulate
oftentimes no matter what we do.
So was Penny ever alone with him?
She wanted to learn guitar.
Yeah, she took private lessons with him.
Is he gonna be arrested?
- That's the plan.
- Good.
Because if I get my hands on him,
I'm gonna kill the guy.
Come here.
Mr. Huxley, will you step
out with us for a moment?
Any chance this could
wait till after class?
We're, uh [CHUCKLES]
We're in mid-lesson here.
Principal already sent Ms.
Masters down to cover your class.
♪
What's all this about?
You know what this is about, scumbag.
- The rape of a child.
- Wait. What?
- Let's go.
- Wait a minute. Hold on!
This is a mistake!
Let's go.
Sit down.
Do you know why we're here, Mr. Huxley?
I have no earthly idea. I swear.
He said something about raping a child.
- That's insane.
- Yeah.
My colleague's new. He
gets a little riled up.
Yeah, I do.
Is this about Westchester?
Inappropriate conduct with
a female student, they said.
I-I-I knew I was never
gonna be able to escape this.
Look, it was all unfounded.
Hey, I was cleared.
Is she saying I raped her?
I get it. I'd be upset too.
But there's procedure we gotta follow
with your side on the record.
My story hasn't changed. Okay?
She mistook my kindness
for something else.
She got upset when I rejected her
and she started making
these false accusations.
But I never touched her.
I never touched anyone, let alone raped.
Must be frustrating.
I just don't understand how
they can keep doing this.
Huh? The school investigated.
They found nothing.
I almost lost my career.
I had to give up tenure
to escape these rumors.
And I changed the way I teach.
Make sure that nothing
can be misinterpreted.
Right.
Stuff like this, for instance.
[TENSE MUSIC]
Oh, my God. What
[TABLET SLAMS ON TABLE] What the hell?
[GASPS] W-what are those?
I don't understand where they came from.
Look, these aren't real, okay?
I don't understand where they came from,
who made them, or how you got them,
but they're 100% fake.
Oh, they're fake?
What about Penny being pregnant?
Is that fake too?
She's what?
Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!
What about her almost dying, huh?
Is that fake too?
Look, I don't know what
you're talking about.
Oh, it's just another kid
making false accusations?
- Is that right?
- No, I swear.
Take my DNA, okay? Give me a polygraph.
Whatever you want.
♪
The hell was that in there?
Oh, I got tired of you slow-playing him.
Hey!
Nine out of ten times,
you're not gonna get a confession, okay?
You're gonna lock them into a story,
and our job is shutting
the hell up and listening.
Enough. Guys.
Bruno.
Bruno, what do you think?
It doesn't feel right.
Something's missing.
Yeah. A confession.
I swear to God, Griff.
Were you paying attention to
Huxley's reaction to those photos?
So what? The creep's a good actor.
No. He was genuinely horrified by them.
I agree. So let's
let's take a breather.
Oh, you have gotta be kidding me, boss.
Okay, we have him for 24 hours.
He's not going anywhere, okay?
So in the meantime,
have TARU take a closer
look at those photos.
- What about me?
- What about you?
You need to take a walk.
Cool your jets.
Captain, come on.
♪
Two captains in my office.
Am I in trouble or something? [CHUCKLES]
Uh, no. We're just down a man.
But we should be getting
another detective in soon.
Cool.
You know, some people might get nervous,
two captains showing
up, checking their work,
but not me.
Those photos all read
real on first glance.
Heck, even on second.
But once I went through pixel by pixel,
I noticed tiny repetitive patterns.
- So they're fakes?
- AI-generated.
Damn good ones too.
I traced the little pervs'
messages step by step,
recreated the path they spread through.
Like tracking an illness.
Bingo.
And I found patient zero,
digital fingerprints and all.
The images were created on
a generative AI site, NU/DAI.
Care to gander where the
IP address tracked back to?
Lansdowne Academy?
A-plus, Captain.
Huxley's DNA is out for testing,
but with the photo confirmed as
fake and his eagerness to test,
I'd say he's no longer
a primary suspect.
Well, someone at the
school made those images,
either to victimize Penny
or set up Huxley or both.
Well, even if the child
porn images are AI-generated,
they're still illegal.
But the question is who and why.
Now, we know the website
that the perp used
NU/DAI, which is based
here in Manhattan.
And that's where you come in.
So I want to subpoena those logs
so we can use them to find
out who created these images.
Now, legally, you're not
gonna get a court order
to go on a fishing expedition.
I mean, no judge is gonna
go for such a broad search.
Even if they're making child porn?
The privacy of the overall user base
trumps the deed of one bad actor.
Now, you could try
asking the site nicely.
I mean, most businesses
don't wanna be associated
with child pornography.
Okay, good.
Bruno, Griff, so I want you
to pay the AI company a visit.
Try to be nice, okay?
Appreciate you taking time
to speak to us, Mr. Boone.
Of course, of course.
You fellas sure you don't
want something to drink?
Hey, guys, Wolfie.
Slow down around the corners, bud.
Sorry. Kiddo chaos tonight.
- Jane, can you
- Yeah. Come on.
Working from home was a change
after 14 years at Google.
No more on-site spas,
free espressos, nap pods.
Looking back, getting laid off was, uh,
best thing that could
have happened for me.
Forced me to start my own company.
"Nude AI?"
Uh, actually it's pronounced
"new day," but yeah, that's us.
Or me, I guess. [CHUCKLES]
From this tiny office
to 3 million users.
Who'd've thunk it, huh?
A regular American success story.
Exactly.
We're on the cutting edge.
We're helping shape
society's creative future.
Oh, uh, like, uh,
like child pornography.
[TENSE MUSIC]
That's not what I meant.
Why include adult materials at all?
I provide tools.
I don't control how they're used.
We can't let a few bad apples
stand in the way of progress.
How about you help us catch
one of those bad apples?
What do you mean?
Let us look at your user logs.
And we can find the sicko
who's been making nude images
of a minor from a school computer.
Sorry, we purge identifying
records from our system
once an image is generated.
AI uses up a lot of data,
so we have to optimize
our storage space.
Okay, well, you sure it
ain't so your users feel safe
doing whatever the hell they want?
♪
I resent that suggestion.
[SCOFFS] Yeah.
Who'd've thunk it?
Look, we're just trying to help a kid
that was hurt by your tools.
So you decide that you wanna help, too,
you give us a call.
[SNIFFLES]
Hon, Captain Benson is here.
Penny, you said you'd talk.
You know, Bridget, there's
a, uh, café on four.
They have soft serve.
Maybe you could get us some?
Okay.
I gotta tell you, I, uh, hate hospitals.
I mean, I know that's not a hot take.
I think everyone hates hospitals,
but I think I may hate them
[CHUCKLES] A little more.
So, uh, I've spent my
fair share of time in them.
I mean, guess that comes
with the job, but, uh
so I have been shot,
I have been stabbed, and
I have been poisoned twice.
So that wasn't fun.
Penny, have your parents
have they told you
everything that's going on?
[SIGHS]
Penny, I can promise you
that the only thing that
your parents care about
is that you're okay now
and that you're safe.
Hi.
Hi.
Would it be okay if I asked
you a couple questions?
[APPREHENSIVE MUSIC]
I guess.
Did you know that you were pregnant?
Can you tell me the father's name?
If I say his name, you'll arrest him.
I mean, if he's older than you, right?
Like a teacher?
Oh, my God.
No.
Just no.
No. So it was somebody your age?
A 10th grader.
Okay.
I thought he was so cool.
I was stupid.
Meaning you had sex?
He didn't make me or anything.
I thought I wanted to,
but I just wish we hadn't.
So I broke up with him.
Yeah. And how did he take that?
Not great.
Pretty mad.
Mad? Mad enough to hurt you?
Penny, can you tell me his name?
Bryce Christopher Cole,
you answer the detective's questions.
[HUFFS] Fine. Whatever.
Yeah. Me and Penny had sex.
Big deal.
Well, the big deal is
that Penny got pregnant
and she almost died from complications.
So?
- The hell is wrong with you?
- What?
- A girl almost dies and you just say, "So?"
- Ma, you're not helping!
You're worse than your father.
- Mrs. Cole, please.
- I can't with this kid.
I'm done.
He's all yours.
Do we have your permission
to search Bryce's phone?
You you can't do that!
That's, like, illegal or something!
The phone I pay for?
Go ahead. Passcode is 6969.
Okay, maybe I
I saw the photos, but
I I didn't make them.
I just thought they were funny.
What what what
about this is funny?
You know, maybe, uh, maybe
we should haul your scrawny ass
to prison for statutory rape.
Would that be funny?
- What?
- Yeah, Bryce!
Real prison with real criminals.
You wanna guess how your little
attitude will fly on the inside?
Mom! Y
it was Haley.
Who's Haley?
She's my girlfriend now.
She's, like, crazy jealous of Penny.
I I didn't tell her
to do any of it, I swear.
It was just a joke.
Why put Mr. Huxley in the photos?
He gave her a C on her
essay, brought her GPA down.
She wants to go to Yale.
[TENSE MUSIC]
[KNOCK AT DOOR]
Haley, gather your things.
♪
Haley.
So we hear that you're very
good at making pictures.
No! I want my dad! No, no!
I I said I was sorry!
- I know you did.
- I'm sorry! I said I was sorry!
- I need you to get in the car.
- No!
W-watch your head.
Okay.
It was just a joke! It
was just a joke! Please!
Bruno is still talking with the dad.
Principal said there were
two other incidents this week,
kids making AI images
of their classmates.
It's crazy.
How are we supposed to
police something like this?
Keep tossing teens in
jail every time it happens?
That's a good question, Griff.
Look, we've all tracked the rise
in cases like Penny Wilson's.
Revenge porn, deepfakes,
non-consensual intimate imagery.
And with the spread
of AI, this is like
this is like gasoline on a fire.
COMPSTAT numbers show a
six-month spike in reports
related to these images.
Extortion, harassment, stalking.
Last week, a Bronx
15-year-old got shot for
- making AI pics of a neighbor.
- Mm.
The week before, a senior at
Brooklyn Tech took her own life
when fake nudes were posted online.
Yeah, we've seen it.
ADA Price just convicted
a teen girl for murder.
Stabbed some boy to death
over pictures like this.
Locking up perpetrators after the fact
doesn't help future victims.
I mean, kids like Penny
Wilson, this teacher, Huxley.
We need to do more.
Take it you got something in mind?
I do.
Going after the AI companies.
Criminally.
Oh.
Getting criminal charges to stick
to these companies is a tall order.
Well, she knows that, but
we're about to find out
why she still thinks that's a good idea.
Bruno.
We start with NU/DAI,
same company used to make
images of Penny Wilson.
owned and operated by Lucas
Boone, former tech exec.
The guy plays an aw-shucks family man,
but he has no qualms about
making money off this garbage.
His company is one of the
fastest-rising AI engines.
Over 1.2 million downloads
in the past four months.
At first glance, it's your
basic AI image generator.
But you pay full access, though,
and then you get to see
NU/DAI's real business,
letting you create pornographic
images of anyone anywhere.
So it used to be if you
wanted to make fake nudes,
you needed fancy software, skill, okay?
Now you can do it on your phone.
Imagine this is a photo
of your sister or your kid.
[TENSE MUSIC]
Make her cheeks flushed.
Stick her tongue out.
Take her dress off.
♪
Go ahead. Show it to 'em.
[SIGHS] Yeah.
Splatter glue on her face.
Oh, my God.
This is not innovation.
This is sexual abuse.
Look, I know it's a big swing.
But it's still a good idea.
We'll take it to Baxter.
Let's hope he agrees.
Thank you.
The district attorney's office
doesn't make new case law, Sonny.
That's a job for a legislature.
Albany takes a month and a half
to agree on their lunch order.
Go after the company civilly.
San Francisco went after ten of
these AI outfits earlier this year.
And they still haven't settled.
The fines are not enough, sir.
There's precedent. It works.
Companies that make quick money,
they make it hand over fist.
Fines are a line item in their budget.
It's the price of doing business.
Laws are always struggling to
catch up with new technology.
But guys like Boone,
they're counting on it.
Right, they act with
impunity, they destroy lives,
and then they face no consequences.
So [SIGHS]
If we could just indict them,
then all these other shady operations,
they're gonna stop and
they're gonna step back.
Waiting to see how this plays out.
Provided you can convince a jury.
The public knows what's
going on out there.
They see it in the news.
They see it in their Facebook feeds.
And they're afraid.
And if we can't protect them by
getting new laws on the books,
then we gotta get creative
enforcing the ones that already exist.
Okay.
You got your case.
Let's go.
[TENSE MUSIC]
- Hello?
- Step aside, Ms. Boone.
We have a warrant for
your husband's arrest.
What? What's going on?
Lucas Boone.
Hey, you can't just barge in here.
Dad? Mom?
Hey, it's okay, bud. What
what what are you doing?
So you are under arrest for the creation
and dissemination of
child sexual material.
Hey, where are they
where are they going?
They can't go up there.
Come on.
I'm not a criminal. This is ridiculous.
No, bud, this is progress.
Judge, this is absurd.
Section 230 of the CDA
clearly shields Mr. Boone
and his company from liability.
AI companies like NU/DAI have
yet to be given 230 protections
under current case law, Your Honor.
My client's company
provides a neutral service,
a tool that generates
content of the user's choice.
He's being persecuted by an
overzealous district attorney.
My opinion of Mr. Boone has no bearing.
- This is entirely about facts.
- Oh, please.
And in this case, Your Honor, the
defendant was not only aware of,
but also encouraged
the use of his platform
in the creation of child pornography.
That is a reach and you know it, Sonny.
Your Honor, if you give a child a gun
and they shoot someone,
you're responsible.
I admit I'm a bit skeptical
of the People's argument here.
Thank you, Your Honor.
But I also have a nephew
who will not shut up
about the unbridled potential
of artificial intelligence.
I am curious how this would play out.
The defense's motion is denied.
I couldn't believe it,
all those people seeing me
like that, people in my school.
I mean
it wasn't my body, but
they don't know that.
It was so embarrassing.
And how do you feel now?
I can't sleep.
I can't eat.
I can't even show my face in public.
They have videos of me on the
internet calling me a pedophile.
What impact did this have on your life?
We had to change my phone number,
my email,
delete my socials.
But people still find me.
Call me slut, whore.
I lost my job. My career is ruined.
Because of those pictures.
All because of his website.
Because of him.
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
No further questions, Your Honor.
Your witness, Ms. Hamlin.
Thank you, Judge.
Did my client create those images?
No.
Did another student at your
school create those images?
Yes.
Was she a friend of yours?
Yes.
And she was arrested for this crime?
Answer the question, please.
- Yes, but
- Thank you.
Nothing further.
♪
We help everyday people
express themselves,
not just experts with
degrees and fancy tools.
With our AI engine, anyone
can become an artist.
Could you demonstrate
how the website works for the courtroom?
Objection, Your Honor. Relevance.
The jury should have an understanding
of how this technology works, sir.
I'll allow it.
Okay.
Let's say Judge Carpintero
is a secret Swiftie, but
missed the recent tour.
With our generative tools,
he can create new memories
from moments he missed.
[KEYBOARD CLICKS]
Anything is possible.
Mr. Boone, would you say
that a majority of your users
create images like
this or adult content?
This, definitely.
Adult content is a very
small part of our user base.
Do you have safeguards
in place for such material
as adult content?
Yes.
Our terms of service clearly
prohibits underage users
and anything illegal as required by law.
Personally, I felt it
important to go an extra step.
All adult functions require registration
and are locked behind a paywall.
Thank you.
Nothing further.
Mr. Carisi.
It's cute, huh?
But if we're really gonna
show the jury the full extent
of how your tech works,
then why don't you have it
take Judge Carpintero's clothes off?
Mr. Carisi!
Apologies, Your Honor. Withdrawn.
Do you enjoy people using your website
to make nude images, Mr. Boone?
It's not my place to
feel one way or the other.
I provide a tool.
I don't encourage people how to use it.
- Is that so?
- Yes.
Because I have an advertisement here
that suggests otherwise.
Your Honor, please enter into
the record People's exhibit 27.
This is an online ad for
the defendant's website.
Mr. Boone, if you don't mind,
could you read that
for the jury, please?
"Why waste money taking her on a date
when you can use NU/DAI
to see her naked?"
It feels pretty encouraging to me.
Those ads are terrible and
I'm sorry they ever went up.
I had outsourced marketing
to a company overseas.
They were clearly less than reputable.
Your excuse is that
these ads were a mistake.
- That that's it?
- That's the truth.
I fired 'em as soon as I found out.
Okay, what about the teenagers, though,
who clicked on this ad
hoping to make nude
images of their classmates?
What about them?
As I mentioned, our terms
of service clearly prohibits
underage users from
Come on, Mr. Boone.
Do you really think that a few lines
buried in a ten-page legal
document is sufficient
to protect children from your website?
My site, like any other
site with adult material,
clearly follows safety
measures required by law.
Look, I'm not a bad guy.
I'm a dad.
I know how difficult it can be.
But
doesn't it fall on the parent
to know what their kid is doing online?
Oh, so you bear no responsibility
for the damage done
with your technology?
Just because someone
paints an offensive picture,
it doesn't mean you
arrest the paintbrush.
♪
Nothing further, Your Honor.
Carisi.
Did you go home last night?
Uh, kinda? Not really.
I was reading through the case files.
- You pulled an all-nighter?
- I'm fine. I feel great.
More importantly, I found something,
a second name on the original draft
of NU/DAI's articles of incorporation.
You're kidding me. Who?
Samit Junger, engineer.
Old co-worker of Boone's.
They were listed as co-founders
when the application was
submitted and then amended it
two months later,
removing Junger's name,
so he's not on the official document.
You think they had a falling out?
Wouldn't be the first time
someone got screwed out
of a rising tech company.
Maybe he's sour enough to help us.
Here. Take this with you.
You need something in your stomach.
Listen, if you're gonna
speak to a potential witness,
make sure to bring somebody
from SVU with you, okay?
- Way ahead of you.
- Good work.
Yeah.
Lucas and I built the company's
first AI model together.
How come you decided to leave?
I didn't. He bought me out.
Must be hard,
to see a company that you helped build
become successful after you've left.
Not really.
His sort of success doesn't interest me.
Why not?
Sorry. Can't talk about it.
Boone made you sign an NDA?
Yep.
And I can't afford to
be sued into oblivion.
I don't think it'll come to that.
You don't think?
NDAs can't be enforced if
they hide illegal activity.
Samit, kids are being hurt
by the technology
that you helped create.
Please talk to us.
Our original idea was a novelty app.
Aging photos up and down.
You know, kids into
adults, adults into kids.
At what point did that change?
Once the model started
working better than expected,
Lucas realized he could pivot
to something more profitable.
- What was that?
- Adult content. Nudes.
And did you agree with his choice?
No.
I knew our tech would
be way too easy to abuse.
The engine was trained on
millions of public images,
images of real people, real kids.
Could you explain that further, please?
AI swallows information,
mixes it together,
and then spits it back out.
It can't actually think for itself.
So if you take a model
trained on images of kids,
millions of them, and then
train it on nude pictures,
it's gonna mix them together.
You mean create child pornography?
Yeah.
An algorithm can't tell the difference
between an 18-year-old or a 15-year-old.
And you raised this with Mr. Boone?
- I did.
- And what happened?
Lucas fired me.
He owns a majority of
the stake in the company.
People's exhibit 32, Your Honor.
These are email exchanges
between Mr. Junger and the
defendant raising concerns
about potential misuse
of NU/DAI's model.
Now, Mr. Junger, we
received 270 gigs of records
from NU/DAI, and yet,
these emails were missing.
Do you have any idea why?
They were supposed to be destroyed.
What made you decide to keep them?
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
Figured we'd all be here one day.
On the first count,
disseminating indecent
materials to minors
in the second degree, how do you find?
We find the defendant guilty.
[WHISPERS] Yes.
On the second count,
promoting a sexual performance
by a child, how do you find?
We find the defendant guilty.
Ladies and gentlemen, I
thank you for your service.
The jury is dismissed.
♪
Would the prosecution,
defendant, and counsel please sit?
I have something to say.
♪
Mr. Carisi, I applaud your
team on a compelling case.
Considering the emotions
around this matter,
the jury's findings are understandable.
However, I do not believe the laws
as written support the decision.
Though I find Boone's
business practices despicable,
negligent, and lacking in basic decency,
these failings are not criminal
and they do not apply under
our current statutes.
To convict him as if they
did, though satisfying,
is a miscarriage of justice,
and therefore, I am
setting the verdict aside.
What?
I don't disagree with
your intent in this case.
But if you wish to change the laws,
you will need to go to
Albany, not my courtroom.
Defendant is free to go.
Case is dismissed.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
What the hell just happened?
Big swings don't always
make it out of the park, CJ.
- Can we do something?
- We lost, yeah.
But we also won because
with Samit's testimony,
Boone's gonna be exposed
to a wave of civil cases.
And with any luck,
he's gonna be out of
business in a couple weeks.
Yeah.
Too bad ten more companies just like his
got incorporated today.
♪
Look, I'm just saying that
I may or may not have taken ChatGP
out for a spin once or twice.
Okay. To do what, exactly?
Therapy.
Terry, please tell me that
you're joking right now.
They gave her a nice
voice. She's easy to talk to.
Wow.
Okay, I will give you the phone number
of a very nice human therapist
because clearly, you need it.
Amanda.
Hello, everyone.
Hey, kid, come get a drink with us.
Uh, I got paperwork.
Curry's buying.
I am?
- Okay.
- [SIGHS]
I'm sorry for the radio silence.
I've been weighing my options.
So Tynan is not messing with me?
You you're actually leaving Intel?
Well, she overhauled
it beyond recognition.
She put her own guy in there,
moved my boss to the Bronx.
You called it. She changed everything.
Mm.
Amanda, I don't have to tell you
that there's always a spot here for you.
You know, I'd love to come back here.
But playing a pawn in whatever
game Tynan is playing with you,
it doesn't sit right.
Right. And what's the alternative?
Intel's off the table.
And could go back to teaching. Maybe.
[SIGHS]
Look, is this an offer
that's gonna bite me in
the ass down the line?
Probably.
I mean, she's after something.
I just don't know what.
Mm.
But personally, it sure would be nice
to have somebody in
here that I could trust.
Unlike Griffin?
He's fine.
You know, he's might even
be here for the right reasons.
I don't know, but he's ambitious.
- Mm.
- Which could be worse.
[PENSIVE MUSIC]
Well
I guess I'll be keeping a
close eye on him around here.
All right.
See you in the morning, boss.
♪
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
[WOLF HOWLS]
In the criminal justice system,
sexually based offenses
are considered especially heinous.
In New York City, the
dedicated detectives
who investigate these vicious felonies
are members of an elite squad
known as the Special Victims Unit.
These are their stories.
Wait, yes. I love that one. [LAUGHTER]
No, Ricky, you can't DoorDash
an order of wings to the museum.
- Come on. Back in.
- Oh!
Hey, Sofia, Poppy.
Back in your seats
before someone gets hurt.
[LAUGHTER] Now. Thank you.
No, Mom. I don't wanna study medicine.
I wanna teach. I wanna work with kids.
[ENGINE REVS, BRAKES SCREECH]
[PEOPLE SCREAMING]
[TENSE MUSIC]
You okay?
- Rick, you okay?
- Think so.
Skylar, you good? Help open the door.
Listen up. Is anybody too hurt to move?
Okay, good.
We're gonna calmly exit the bus,
cross the street, and
line up on the sidewalk.
Is that clear?
Let's go. One by one. Single file. Yes.
Hey, let's go. Let's
go. Come on. You can do it.
Let me see your hand.
Ow. Is it bad?
It's not too deep.
We'll get it looked at.
Just keep applying pressure, okay?
- Okay.
- Keep holding onto that.
Anyone else with cuts? Bruises?
- Uh, Ms. Reed?
- Yeah?
Penny, what's wrong?
[GROANING]
- [WORDS ECHOING] Whoa.
- Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Penny. Hey, talk to me.
I appreciate you humoring
my monthly check-in.
I'm sure you'd rather spend
downtime with the family.
How old is your son?
Uh, Noah is 15.
And he is he's a good kid.
Do you do you have kids?
Oh, no.
Um, that wasn't in the cards for me.
Mm.
One benefit of working at 1PP
in, say, a newly created deputy
chief position is schedule.
Reasonable hours,
more time with the fam.
Chief Tynan,
I think I've been very
clear with you about this.
I'm just I'm not
looking for a desk job.
[SOFT PIANO MUSIC PLAYING]
I can tell.
You're out in the field more than
any other captain in the department.
I'm out in the field because
victims are in the field.
And that is where I'm the most useful.
So I'm offering you something
that you'll never want.
Pretty much.
Good to know.
[CHUCKLES SOFTLY] Amanda Rollins.
What about her?
Well, you're down another
detective with Velasco leaving.
Would you be interested
in reacquiring Rollins?
I didn't know that she
was looking for a move.
My sources say she's shopping around.
Captain, I'm not trying to play you.
[CHUCKLING] Sure you are.
If anything, at most,
I'm trying to get you to like me.
I know you take care of your people,
and they are certainly loyal to you.
I see no downside to
shifting her back to SVU.
Do you?
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
♪
Hi. We're looking for our daughter.
Jesus.
Hi. Our daughter is here.
- Penny Wilson.
- Penny Wilson.
- Mr. and Mrs. Wilson?
- Yeah.
Are you Penny Wilson's parents?
- Please, what's happening?
- Yeah. Where's our daughter?
She came in with severe hemorrhaging
and was rushed into
surgery when she arrived.
We're doing all we can to stabilize her.
- Oh, my God. Oh, my God.
- Is she gonna be okay?
Penny suffered a rupture
of her fallopian tube.
Lost almost 2 liters of blood.
Her situation is grave.
Uh, these are detectives
Bruno and Griffin.
They're with NYPD Special Victims Unit.
Special victims? Why?
The hospital called
us due to Penny's age
and the nature of her injuries.
What are you saying?
Did you know your daughter was pregnant?
♪
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
Penny never even mentioned boys,
dating, nothing like that.
No, no.
If if she had a boyfriend,
we would have known.
She's only 13.
Have you noticed her hanging
out with any new people,
new places?
- Uh
- Not really.
She has school, a few extracurriculars.
So we both we both work,
so sometimes, we're
not home until dinner.
But no, we trust our daughter.
She's a she's a good kid.
None of this makes sense.
And I promise you
we're doing everything we
can to get you some answers.
Whatever you need to
help our little girl.
Okay.
[SIGHS] How's she doing?
Penny's still in surgery. No change.
If we're lucky,
docs will be able to pull
DNA from the fetal remains.
Okay, well, if we get the DNA,
then we can test his against it.
What was your take on the father?
Seemed appropriately
upset and forthcoming.
Not sure if he's our guy.
Obviously, we can't rule him out.
Yeah. I have the same read.
Meanwhile, I'll go to Penny's
school and see what I can find.
I'm confused.
The other detectives cleared
our school of any wrongdoing.
We're not here about the bus accident.
We're actually here about Penny Wilson.
Yeah, we'd like to speak
with her teachers and friends.
Oh, well, it goes without saying
that the thoughts and prayers
of the entire Lansdowne
family are with Ms. Wilson.
But the board of trustees won't
allow police to roam the halls.
It's far too disruptive.
Apologies.
Okay. Sure.
Yeah, I get that.
Uh, it might be better for everyone
if we go straight to a judge.
Yeah, I I agree. I mean,
if your hands are tied,
then I think the best course of action
would be to get a warrant.
Yeah, it's gonna make this
a matter of public interest.
Yeah, and just so you
know, that means press.
That means questions.
A lot of attention.
If your board doesn't want you
These are exceptional circumstances.
I think they'd understand.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
♪
I think that's a bio report.
It was due this morning,
but I can turn it in so
she doesn't get a zero.
Great. Uh, thanks.
You're you're friends with Penny?
I guess.
Not really. She's just in my homeroom.
Okay, great. Thank you.
- You're police?
- I am.
I'm I'm here to help Penny.
Yeah. She's cool.
Always says hi in the hall.
Nice.
- Not everybody does that.
- Yeah.
Doesn't deserve the crap
people are saying about her.
What, uh, what kind of crap
are people saying about her?
There's this group of guys
in my grade, real dickweeds.
They've been sending around some
really messed-up photos of Penny.
It never gets easier,
for what it's worth.
I don't even how the hell
do you guys handle this stuff?
- Don't have kids.
- Okay. What do we got?
Almost a dozen nude photos of
Penny passed around by students
at the school through
texts, DMs, emails.
Some are selfies.
Others are, uh, are pictures of her
engaged with, uh, with an adult male.
David Huxley, 32, teaches
music at Lansdowne.
He's been there six years,
has a good rep amongst faculty,
- popular with the students.
- I bet.
Not much else on him. No priors.
- Lives off Steinway in Astoria.
- Okay.
I found one thing that
smells a bit hinky.
Local profile from
his first teaching gig.
School up in Westchester.
Huxley was doing great.
Pulled tenure within a couple of years.
- So a rising star.
- Right.
Then seven months later, school releases
a detail-free announcement
that he's resigned.
Some teachers wait a
decade to make tenure.
- Why walk away?
- Who cares? We got the photos.
Let's arrest the perv.
Uh, well, look, I I really
do appreciate your eagerness
to pull him off the street,
but but first we need
to build a case against him
that will actually stick,
so I will talk to Penny's parents.
You two follow up on
this Westchester case
and if it is what it seems to be,
then then you pick him up.
The docs are hopeful she'll
wake up in the next day or two,
but, um, they can't be sure.
- You mentioned photos.
- I did.
They're gonna be
pretty upsetting to see.
Some of these are already
confirmed to be Penny,
but some of them, we can't see faces,
so if you just take a look
and tell me if there's
anything that you recognize.
[TENSE MUSIC]
[GASPS]
That's her. Penny.
- You're sure?
- The scrunchie on her wrist.
Wait, that was him, the teacher?
Okay, so tell me what
you know about Mr. Huxley.
- He's a music teacher at the school.
- Mm-hmm.
Penny was freshman
year is a big jump,
so we thought learn an instrument,
make some friends. We didn't know.
He has this after-school rock band club.
- We signed her up for it.
- Hey, come on.
Mrs. Wilson.
You did nothing to
cause this, all right?
Predators manipulate
oftentimes no matter what we do.
So was Penny ever alone with him?
She wanted to learn guitar.
Yeah, she took private lessons with him.
Is he gonna be arrested?
- That's the plan.
- Good.
Because if I get my hands on him,
I'm gonna kill the guy.
Come here.
Mr. Huxley, will you step
out with us for a moment?
Any chance this could
wait till after class?
We're, uh [CHUCKLES]
We're in mid-lesson here.
Principal already sent Ms.
Masters down to cover your class.
♪
What's all this about?
You know what this is about, scumbag.
- The rape of a child.
- Wait. What?
- Let's go.
- Wait a minute. Hold on!
This is a mistake!
Let's go.
Sit down.
Do you know why we're here, Mr. Huxley?
I have no earthly idea. I swear.
He said something about raping a child.
- That's insane.
- Yeah.
My colleague's new. He
gets a little riled up.
Yeah, I do.
Is this about Westchester?
Inappropriate conduct with
a female student, they said.
I-I-I knew I was never
gonna be able to escape this.
Look, it was all unfounded.
Hey, I was cleared.
Is she saying I raped her?
I get it. I'd be upset too.
But there's procedure we gotta follow
with your side on the record.
My story hasn't changed. Okay?
She mistook my kindness
for something else.
She got upset when I rejected her
and she started making
these false accusations.
But I never touched her.
I never touched anyone, let alone raped.
Must be frustrating.
I just don't understand how
they can keep doing this.
Huh? The school investigated.
They found nothing.
I almost lost my career.
I had to give up tenure
to escape these rumors.
And I changed the way I teach.
Make sure that nothing
can be misinterpreted.
Right.
Stuff like this, for instance.
[TENSE MUSIC]
Oh, my God. What
[TABLET SLAMS ON TABLE] What the hell?
[GASPS] W-what are those?
I don't understand where they came from.
Look, these aren't real, okay?
I don't understand where they came from,
who made them, or how you got them,
but they're 100% fake.
Oh, they're fake?
What about Penny being pregnant?
Is that fake too?
She's what?
Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!
What about her almost dying, huh?
Is that fake too?
Look, I don't know what
you're talking about.
Oh, it's just another kid
making false accusations?
- Is that right?
- No, I swear.
Take my DNA, okay? Give me a polygraph.
Whatever you want.
♪
The hell was that in there?
Oh, I got tired of you slow-playing him.
Hey!
Nine out of ten times,
you're not gonna get a confession, okay?
You're gonna lock them into a story,
and our job is shutting
the hell up and listening.
Enough. Guys.
Bruno.
Bruno, what do you think?
It doesn't feel right.
Something's missing.
Yeah. A confession.
I swear to God, Griff.
Were you paying attention to
Huxley's reaction to those photos?
So what? The creep's a good actor.
No. He was genuinely horrified by them.
I agree. So let's
let's take a breather.
Oh, you have gotta be kidding me, boss.
Okay, we have him for 24 hours.
He's not going anywhere, okay?
So in the meantime,
have TARU take a closer
look at those photos.
- What about me?
- What about you?
You need to take a walk.
Cool your jets.
Captain, come on.
♪
Two captains in my office.
Am I in trouble or something? [CHUCKLES]
Uh, no. We're just down a man.
But we should be getting
another detective in soon.
Cool.
You know, some people might get nervous,
two captains showing
up, checking their work,
but not me.
Those photos all read
real on first glance.
Heck, even on second.
But once I went through pixel by pixel,
I noticed tiny repetitive patterns.
- So they're fakes?
- AI-generated.
Damn good ones too.
I traced the little pervs'
messages step by step,
recreated the path they spread through.
Like tracking an illness.
Bingo.
And I found patient zero,
digital fingerprints and all.
The images were created on
a generative AI site, NU/DAI.
Care to gander where the
IP address tracked back to?
Lansdowne Academy?
A-plus, Captain.
Huxley's DNA is out for testing,
but with the photo confirmed as
fake and his eagerness to test,
I'd say he's no longer
a primary suspect.
Well, someone at the
school made those images,
either to victimize Penny
or set up Huxley or both.
Well, even if the child
porn images are AI-generated,
they're still illegal.
But the question is who and why.
Now, we know the website
that the perp used
NU/DAI, which is based
here in Manhattan.
And that's where you come in.
So I want to subpoena those logs
so we can use them to find
out who created these images.
Now, legally, you're not
gonna get a court order
to go on a fishing expedition.
I mean, no judge is gonna
go for such a broad search.
Even if they're making child porn?
The privacy of the overall user base
trumps the deed of one bad actor.
Now, you could try
asking the site nicely.
I mean, most businesses
don't wanna be associated
with child pornography.
Okay, good.
Bruno, Griff, so I want you
to pay the AI company a visit.
Try to be nice, okay?
Appreciate you taking time
to speak to us, Mr. Boone.
Of course, of course.
You fellas sure you don't
want something to drink?
Hey, guys, Wolfie.
Slow down around the corners, bud.
Sorry. Kiddo chaos tonight.
- Jane, can you
- Yeah. Come on.
Working from home was a change
after 14 years at Google.
No more on-site spas,
free espressos, nap pods.
Looking back, getting laid off was, uh,
best thing that could
have happened for me.
Forced me to start my own company.
"Nude AI?"
Uh, actually it's pronounced
"new day," but yeah, that's us.
Or me, I guess. [CHUCKLES]
From this tiny office
to 3 million users.
Who'd've thunk it, huh?
A regular American success story.
Exactly.
We're on the cutting edge.
We're helping shape
society's creative future.
Oh, uh, like, uh,
like child pornography.
[TENSE MUSIC]
That's not what I meant.
Why include adult materials at all?
I provide tools.
I don't control how they're used.
We can't let a few bad apples
stand in the way of progress.
How about you help us catch
one of those bad apples?
What do you mean?
Let us look at your user logs.
And we can find the sicko
who's been making nude images
of a minor from a school computer.
Sorry, we purge identifying
records from our system
once an image is generated.
AI uses up a lot of data,
so we have to optimize
our storage space.
Okay, well, you sure it
ain't so your users feel safe
doing whatever the hell they want?
♪
I resent that suggestion.
[SCOFFS] Yeah.
Who'd've thunk it?
Look, we're just trying to help a kid
that was hurt by your tools.
So you decide that you wanna help, too,
you give us a call.
[SNIFFLES]
Hon, Captain Benson is here.
Penny, you said you'd talk.
You know, Bridget, there's
a, uh, café on four.
They have soft serve.
Maybe you could get us some?
Okay.
I gotta tell you, I, uh, hate hospitals.
I mean, I know that's not a hot take.
I think everyone hates hospitals,
but I think I may hate them
[CHUCKLES] A little more.
So, uh, I've spent my
fair share of time in them.
I mean, guess that comes
with the job, but, uh
so I have been shot,
I have been stabbed, and
I have been poisoned twice.
So that wasn't fun.
Penny, have your parents
have they told you
everything that's going on?
[SIGHS]
Penny, I can promise you
that the only thing that
your parents care about
is that you're okay now
and that you're safe.
Hi.
Hi.
Would it be okay if I asked
you a couple questions?
[APPREHENSIVE MUSIC]
I guess.
Did you know that you were pregnant?
Can you tell me the father's name?
If I say his name, you'll arrest him.
I mean, if he's older than you, right?
Like a teacher?
Oh, my God.
No.
Just no.
No. So it was somebody your age?
A 10th grader.
Okay.
I thought he was so cool.
I was stupid.
Meaning you had sex?
He didn't make me or anything.
I thought I wanted to,
but I just wish we hadn't.
So I broke up with him.
Yeah. And how did he take that?
Not great.
Pretty mad.
Mad? Mad enough to hurt you?
Penny, can you tell me his name?
Bryce Christopher Cole,
you answer the detective's questions.
[HUFFS] Fine. Whatever.
Yeah. Me and Penny had sex.
Big deal.
Well, the big deal is
that Penny got pregnant
and she almost died from complications.
So?
- The hell is wrong with you?
- What?
- A girl almost dies and you just say, "So?"
- Ma, you're not helping!
You're worse than your father.
- Mrs. Cole, please.
- I can't with this kid.
I'm done.
He's all yours.
Do we have your permission
to search Bryce's phone?
You you can't do that!
That's, like, illegal or something!
The phone I pay for?
Go ahead. Passcode is 6969.
Okay, maybe I
I saw the photos, but
I I didn't make them.
I just thought they were funny.
What what what
about this is funny?
You know, maybe, uh, maybe
we should haul your scrawny ass
to prison for statutory rape.
Would that be funny?
- What?
- Yeah, Bryce!
Real prison with real criminals.
You wanna guess how your little
attitude will fly on the inside?
Mom! Y
it was Haley.
Who's Haley?
She's my girlfriend now.
She's, like, crazy jealous of Penny.
I I didn't tell her
to do any of it, I swear.
It was just a joke.
Why put Mr. Huxley in the photos?
He gave her a C on her
essay, brought her GPA down.
She wants to go to Yale.
[TENSE MUSIC]
[KNOCK AT DOOR]
Haley, gather your things.
♪
Haley.
So we hear that you're very
good at making pictures.
No! I want my dad! No, no!
I I said I was sorry!
- I know you did.
- I'm sorry! I said I was sorry!
- I need you to get in the car.
- No!
W-watch your head.
Okay.
It was just a joke! It
was just a joke! Please!
Bruno is still talking with the dad.
Principal said there were
two other incidents this week,
kids making AI images
of their classmates.
It's crazy.
How are we supposed to
police something like this?
Keep tossing teens in
jail every time it happens?
That's a good question, Griff.
Look, we've all tracked the rise
in cases like Penny Wilson's.
Revenge porn, deepfakes,
non-consensual intimate imagery.
And with the spread
of AI, this is like
this is like gasoline on a fire.
COMPSTAT numbers show a
six-month spike in reports
related to these images.
Extortion, harassment, stalking.
Last week, a Bronx
15-year-old got shot for
- making AI pics of a neighbor.
- Mm.
The week before, a senior at
Brooklyn Tech took her own life
when fake nudes were posted online.
Yeah, we've seen it.
ADA Price just convicted
a teen girl for murder.
Stabbed some boy to death
over pictures like this.
Locking up perpetrators after the fact
doesn't help future victims.
I mean, kids like Penny
Wilson, this teacher, Huxley.
We need to do more.
Take it you got something in mind?
I do.
Going after the AI companies.
Criminally.
Oh.
Getting criminal charges to stick
to these companies is a tall order.
Well, she knows that, but
we're about to find out
why she still thinks that's a good idea.
Bruno.
We start with NU/DAI,
same company used to make
images of Penny Wilson.
owned and operated by Lucas
Boone, former tech exec.
The guy plays an aw-shucks family man,
but he has no qualms about
making money off this garbage.
His company is one of the
fastest-rising AI engines.
Over 1.2 million downloads
in the past four months.
At first glance, it's your
basic AI image generator.
But you pay full access, though,
and then you get to see
NU/DAI's real business,
letting you create pornographic
images of anyone anywhere.
So it used to be if you
wanted to make fake nudes,
you needed fancy software, skill, okay?
Now you can do it on your phone.
Imagine this is a photo
of your sister or your kid.
[TENSE MUSIC]
Make her cheeks flushed.
Stick her tongue out.
Take her dress off.
♪
Go ahead. Show it to 'em.
[SIGHS] Yeah.
Splatter glue on her face.
Oh, my God.
This is not innovation.
This is sexual abuse.
Look, I know it's a big swing.
But it's still a good idea.
We'll take it to Baxter.
Let's hope he agrees.
Thank you.
The district attorney's office
doesn't make new case law, Sonny.
That's a job for a legislature.
Albany takes a month and a half
to agree on their lunch order.
Go after the company civilly.
San Francisco went after ten of
these AI outfits earlier this year.
And they still haven't settled.
The fines are not enough, sir.
There's precedent. It works.
Companies that make quick money,
they make it hand over fist.
Fines are a line item in their budget.
It's the price of doing business.
Laws are always struggling to
catch up with new technology.
But guys like Boone,
they're counting on it.
Right, they act with
impunity, they destroy lives,
and then they face no consequences.
So [SIGHS]
If we could just indict them,
then all these other shady operations,
they're gonna stop and
they're gonna step back.
Waiting to see how this plays out.
Provided you can convince a jury.
The public knows what's
going on out there.
They see it in the news.
They see it in their Facebook feeds.
And they're afraid.
And if we can't protect them by
getting new laws on the books,
then we gotta get creative
enforcing the ones that already exist.
Okay.
You got your case.
Let's go.
[TENSE MUSIC]
- Hello?
- Step aside, Ms. Boone.
We have a warrant for
your husband's arrest.
What? What's going on?
Lucas Boone.
Hey, you can't just barge in here.
Dad? Mom?
Hey, it's okay, bud. What
what what are you doing?
So you are under arrest for the creation
and dissemination of
child sexual material.
Hey, where are they
where are they going?
They can't go up there.
Come on.
I'm not a criminal. This is ridiculous.
No, bud, this is progress.
Judge, this is absurd.
Section 230 of the CDA
clearly shields Mr. Boone
and his company from liability.
AI companies like NU/DAI have
yet to be given 230 protections
under current case law, Your Honor.
My client's company
provides a neutral service,
a tool that generates
content of the user's choice.
He's being persecuted by an
overzealous district attorney.
My opinion of Mr. Boone has no bearing.
- This is entirely about facts.
- Oh, please.
And in this case, Your Honor, the
defendant was not only aware of,
but also encouraged
the use of his platform
in the creation of child pornography.
That is a reach and you know it, Sonny.
Your Honor, if you give a child a gun
and they shoot someone,
you're responsible.
I admit I'm a bit skeptical
of the People's argument here.
Thank you, Your Honor.
But I also have a nephew
who will not shut up
about the unbridled potential
of artificial intelligence.
I am curious how this would play out.
The defense's motion is denied.
I couldn't believe it,
all those people seeing me
like that, people in my school.
I mean
it wasn't my body, but
they don't know that.
It was so embarrassing.
And how do you feel now?
I can't sleep.
I can't eat.
I can't even show my face in public.
They have videos of me on the
internet calling me a pedophile.
What impact did this have on your life?
We had to change my phone number,
my email,
delete my socials.
But people still find me.
Call me slut, whore.
I lost my job. My career is ruined.
Because of those pictures.
All because of his website.
Because of him.
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
No further questions, Your Honor.
Your witness, Ms. Hamlin.
Thank you, Judge.
Did my client create those images?
No.
Did another student at your
school create those images?
Yes.
Was she a friend of yours?
Yes.
And she was arrested for this crime?
Answer the question, please.
- Yes, but
- Thank you.
Nothing further.
♪
We help everyday people
express themselves,
not just experts with
degrees and fancy tools.
With our AI engine, anyone
can become an artist.
Could you demonstrate
how the website works for the courtroom?
Objection, Your Honor. Relevance.
The jury should have an understanding
of how this technology works, sir.
I'll allow it.
Okay.
Let's say Judge Carpintero
is a secret Swiftie, but
missed the recent tour.
With our generative tools,
he can create new memories
from moments he missed.
[KEYBOARD CLICKS]
Anything is possible.
Mr. Boone, would you say
that a majority of your users
create images like
this or adult content?
This, definitely.
Adult content is a very
small part of our user base.
Do you have safeguards
in place for such material
as adult content?
Yes.
Our terms of service clearly
prohibits underage users
and anything illegal as required by law.
Personally, I felt it
important to go an extra step.
All adult functions require registration
and are locked behind a paywall.
Thank you.
Nothing further.
Mr. Carisi.
It's cute, huh?
But if we're really gonna
show the jury the full extent
of how your tech works,
then why don't you have it
take Judge Carpintero's clothes off?
Mr. Carisi!
Apologies, Your Honor. Withdrawn.
Do you enjoy people using your website
to make nude images, Mr. Boone?
It's not my place to
feel one way or the other.
I provide a tool.
I don't encourage people how to use it.
- Is that so?
- Yes.
Because I have an advertisement here
that suggests otherwise.
Your Honor, please enter into
the record People's exhibit 27.
This is an online ad for
the defendant's website.
Mr. Boone, if you don't mind,
could you read that
for the jury, please?
"Why waste money taking her on a date
when you can use NU/DAI
to see her naked?"
It feels pretty encouraging to me.
Those ads are terrible and
I'm sorry they ever went up.
I had outsourced marketing
to a company overseas.
They were clearly less than reputable.
Your excuse is that
these ads were a mistake.
- That that's it?
- That's the truth.
I fired 'em as soon as I found out.
Okay, what about the teenagers, though,
who clicked on this ad
hoping to make nude
images of their classmates?
What about them?
As I mentioned, our terms
of service clearly prohibits
underage users from
Come on, Mr. Boone.
Do you really think that a few lines
buried in a ten-page legal
document is sufficient
to protect children from your website?
My site, like any other
site with adult material,
clearly follows safety
measures required by law.
Look, I'm not a bad guy.
I'm a dad.
I know how difficult it can be.
But
doesn't it fall on the parent
to know what their kid is doing online?
Oh, so you bear no responsibility
for the damage done
with your technology?
Just because someone
paints an offensive picture,
it doesn't mean you
arrest the paintbrush.
♪
Nothing further, Your Honor.
Carisi.
Did you go home last night?
Uh, kinda? Not really.
I was reading through the case files.
- You pulled an all-nighter?
- I'm fine. I feel great.
More importantly, I found something,
a second name on the original draft
of NU/DAI's articles of incorporation.
You're kidding me. Who?
Samit Junger, engineer.
Old co-worker of Boone's.
They were listed as co-founders
when the application was
submitted and then amended it
two months later,
removing Junger's name,
so he's not on the official document.
You think they had a falling out?
Wouldn't be the first time
someone got screwed out
of a rising tech company.
Maybe he's sour enough to help us.
Here. Take this with you.
You need something in your stomach.
Listen, if you're gonna
speak to a potential witness,
make sure to bring somebody
from SVU with you, okay?
- Way ahead of you.
- Good work.
Yeah.
Lucas and I built the company's
first AI model together.
How come you decided to leave?
I didn't. He bought me out.
Must be hard,
to see a company that you helped build
become successful after you've left.
Not really.
His sort of success doesn't interest me.
Why not?
Sorry. Can't talk about it.
Boone made you sign an NDA?
Yep.
And I can't afford to
be sued into oblivion.
I don't think it'll come to that.
You don't think?
NDAs can't be enforced if
they hide illegal activity.
Samit, kids are being hurt
by the technology
that you helped create.
Please talk to us.
Our original idea was a novelty app.
Aging photos up and down.
You know, kids into
adults, adults into kids.
At what point did that change?
Once the model started
working better than expected,
Lucas realized he could pivot
to something more profitable.
- What was that?
- Adult content. Nudes.
And did you agree with his choice?
No.
I knew our tech would
be way too easy to abuse.
The engine was trained on
millions of public images,
images of real people, real kids.
Could you explain that further, please?
AI swallows information,
mixes it together,
and then spits it back out.
It can't actually think for itself.
So if you take a model
trained on images of kids,
millions of them, and then
train it on nude pictures,
it's gonna mix them together.
You mean create child pornography?
Yeah.
An algorithm can't tell the difference
between an 18-year-old or a 15-year-old.
And you raised this with Mr. Boone?
- I did.
- And what happened?
Lucas fired me.
He owns a majority of
the stake in the company.
People's exhibit 32, Your Honor.
These are email exchanges
between Mr. Junger and the
defendant raising concerns
about potential misuse
of NU/DAI's model.
Now, Mr. Junger, we
received 270 gigs of records
from NU/DAI, and yet,
these emails were missing.
Do you have any idea why?
They were supposed to be destroyed.
What made you decide to keep them?
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
Figured we'd all be here one day.
On the first count,
disseminating indecent
materials to minors
in the second degree, how do you find?
We find the defendant guilty.
[WHISPERS] Yes.
On the second count,
promoting a sexual performance
by a child, how do you find?
We find the defendant guilty.
Ladies and gentlemen, I
thank you for your service.
The jury is dismissed.
♪
Would the prosecution,
defendant, and counsel please sit?
I have something to say.
♪
Mr. Carisi, I applaud your
team on a compelling case.
Considering the emotions
around this matter,
the jury's findings are understandable.
However, I do not believe the laws
as written support the decision.
Though I find Boone's
business practices despicable,
negligent, and lacking in basic decency,
these failings are not criminal
and they do not apply under
our current statutes.
To convict him as if they
did, though satisfying,
is a miscarriage of justice,
and therefore, I am
setting the verdict aside.
What?
I don't disagree with
your intent in this case.
But if you wish to change the laws,
you will need to go to
Albany, not my courtroom.
Defendant is free to go.
Case is dismissed.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
What the hell just happened?
Big swings don't always
make it out of the park, CJ.
- Can we do something?
- We lost, yeah.
But we also won because
with Samit's testimony,
Boone's gonna be exposed
to a wave of civil cases.
And with any luck,
he's gonna be out of
business in a couple weeks.
Yeah.
Too bad ten more companies just like his
got incorporated today.
♪
Look, I'm just saying that
I may or may not have taken ChatGP
out for a spin once or twice.
Okay. To do what, exactly?
Therapy.
Terry, please tell me that
you're joking right now.
They gave her a nice
voice. She's easy to talk to.
Wow.
Okay, I will give you the phone number
of a very nice human therapist
because clearly, you need it.
Amanda.
Hello, everyone.
Hey, kid, come get a drink with us.
Uh, I got paperwork.
Curry's buying.
I am?
- Okay.
- [SIGHS]
I'm sorry for the radio silence.
I've been weighing my options.
So Tynan is not messing with me?
You you're actually leaving Intel?
Well, she overhauled
it beyond recognition.
She put her own guy in there,
moved my boss to the Bronx.
You called it. She changed everything.
Mm.
Amanda, I don't have to tell you
that there's always a spot here for you.
You know, I'd love to come back here.
But playing a pawn in whatever
game Tynan is playing with you,
it doesn't sit right.
Right. And what's the alternative?
Intel's off the table.
And could go back to teaching. Maybe.
[SIGHS]
Look, is this an offer
that's gonna bite me in
the ass down the line?
Probably.
I mean, she's after something.
I just don't know what.
Mm.
But personally, it sure would be nice
to have somebody in
here that I could trust.
Unlike Griffin?
He's fine.
You know, he's might even
be here for the right reasons.
I don't know, but he's ambitious.
- Mm.
- Which could be worse.
[PENSIVE MUSIC]
Well
I guess I'll be keeping a
close eye on him around here.
All right.
See you in the morning, boss.
♪
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
[WOLF HOWLS]