David Tatum, a child psychiatrist, made child sexual abuse material using artificial intelligence, authorities said. (Mug shot: Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office)
A child psychiatrist is going to federal prison for 40 years after making secret, abusive recordings and using artificial intelligence to make child sexual abuse material, the U.S. Department of Justice announced on Wednesday. If he lives long enough to serve the term, David Tatum, 41, must then register as a sex offender wherever he’ll live or work, and serve 30 years of supervised release.
Jurors in the Western District of North Carolina convicted him on Monday of a count each of production of child pornography, transportation of child pornography and possession of child pornography.
Prosecutors said he secretly recorded a minor undressing and showering. It turned out he made other similar, secret recordings. Victims included one of his patients, who had just turned 18-years-old five days before the recording and was out during an outpatient visit.
He also possessed other images and footage of abuse material.
Tatum also used a web-based AI application to change pictures of clothed minors to make these sexually explicit. These included images of a school dance and a photo commemorating the first day of school.
“As a child psychiatrist, Tatum knew the damaging, long-lasting impact sexual exploitation has on the wellbeing of victimized children,” U.S. Attorney Dena J. King of the Western District of North Carolina said in a statement. “Regardless, he engaged in the depraved practice of using secret recordings of his victims to create illicit images and videos of them. Tatum also misused artificial intelligence in the worst possible way: to victimize children. Today’s 40-year sentence underscores our efforts to do all we can to bring justice to child victims. As the field of artificial intelligence advances, my office is committed to prosecuting predators who seek to exploit this technology to inflict harm on children.”
“It is horrific to believe anyone would secretly record children undressing and showering for their own sexual gratification,” said FBI Charlotte Special Agent in Charge DeWitt. “And when the evidence proves that person is a doctor entrusted to help children through difficult mental health situations, it is inconceivable. The FBI will never stop working to put predators like Tatum behind bars for a very long time.”