PASCO COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — A Tampa Bay family was outraged after a teacher at their 9-year-old daughter’s school was accused of using A.I. to generate pornographic images using their daughter’s likeness.

Prosecutors said the Steven Houser, 67, also possessed other child porn images, but the images generated using A.I. are not considered illegal under current Florida law.

The victim’s family said Houser knew their daughter was a victim of the foster system. She trusted and adored her teacher while her family said Houser preyed upon her.

“She doesn’t understand how somebody that she cares so much about could’ve done something like that to her,” the victim’s father said.

For this family’s protection, we are concealing their identity. This man is one of the victim’s fathers. We’ll call him Bob.
 
“We were told that one of the teachers used our daughter’s image to make some A.I. pornographic images to sexually gratify himself,” Bob said.

Bob’s 9-year-old daughter attended Beacon Christian Academy in New Port Richey from VPK until the third grade.

Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco said what science teacher Steven Houser admitted to doing is not a crime.
 
“The problem we have is the state laws, federal laws,” Nocco said. “They’re not keeping up with the technology that’s out there, especially A.I.”
 
Authorities did however arrest Houser on possessing real child porn and engaging in a romantic relationship with a student.
 
“We have to be able to keep up with technology and in the courtroom so prosecutors can do their job,” Nocco said.
 
On Wednesday morning, the state offered Houser a plea deal of seven years in prison followed by ten years of sex offender probation with conditions, but before accepting the deal, he pushed back.

“He said it was either five years or seven years, and I said we would go with the five,” Houser told the Judge.

Houser tried to sweeten his deal, but the state attorney nor the judge would give in.

“It can’t be five or seven, of course you would go with five. I would go at 5 too.” said Judge Mary Handsel, Florida 6th Circuit Court. “The state has made it abundantly clear… the offer is seven followed by then, and today’s the day that you can either accept that, or you reject it.”

Houser accepted the deal, but again, under current Florida law, the A.I. images of child pornography were not considered when weighing the plea deal, since they are not considered illegal.  

Investigative reporter Brittany Muller asked the victim’s family if they feel that justice has been served.

“Absolutely not, not at all,” they responded.

Bob wants to see stricter penalties for those who create child porn through the use of A.I.
 
“What would you do if it was your child?” he said. “Think about it your grandchild your niece anybody how would you feel? Because I would guarantee that you do something then. I guarantee that you would be pushing it federally I guarantee that you would be pushing it wherever you could.”