Let’s face it — Artificial Intelligence is just that: artificial.
Artificial intelligence is already reshaping our lives, and nowhere are the risks more serious than in our elections and in the lives of our children. From AI-generated political messages designed to manipulate voters, to the misuse of children’s images to create exploitative or harmful content, these technologies are being deployed faster than the law can respond.
As your state senator, my first responsibility is to protect Missourians — especially families and the integrity of our democratic process.
I also believe deeply in state sovereignty and local control, which is why I am troubled by recent efforts at the federal level to prevent states from acting where Washington has failed. Missouri should not be left defenseless while powerful technology outpaces accountability.
Here are clear, public examples of the harms unregulated AI has caused — the kind of real-world damage that demands action.
AI & Election Integrity
Artificial intelligence isn’t just a tool for convenience — it’s rapidly becoming a powerful weapon in shaping political opinion and influencing elections, often without voters’ awareness.
AI generated robocalls mimicking public officials' voices have already appeared in the United States. In January 2024, thousands of New Hampshire voters received phone calls using an AI-generated voice resembling President Joe Biden, falsely urging them not to participate in the state’s presidential primary — a tactic widely condemned as voter suppression and election interference. Criminal charges and federal fines have been pursued in connection with these false calls under laws prohibiting impersonation and deceptive practices.
Further research shows that AI chatbots can significantly alter voter opinions with only a short interaction. A 2025 study from Cornell University found that conversational AI can shift voter support in either direction by producing large amounts of persuasive claims, some of which are incomplete, biased, or misleading — meaning generative AI could be harnessed to sway political views on a massive scale.
These incidents underscore how accessible AI tools have become and how easily they can be deployed to circulate misleading political content — potentially suppressing turnout, distorting public perception and affecting outcomes of elections along with horribly damaging the character and reputations of innocent candidates.
The ability to fabricate credible-sounding statements and realistic video at scale poses a growing threat to our elections — and Missouri should not wait for federal action.
Exploitation of Children
One of the most alarming and underreported harms of unregulated AI is the exploitation of children’s images.
AI is trained on enormous datasets scraped from the internet that include identifiable photos of children - often without consent. These datasets empower generative models to create convincing AI-generated images or videos of minors that never existed or depict them in harmful or exploitative scenarios. Researchers warn that even personal photos parents post online can be reused in training sets and later manipulated without permission, creating risks of deepfake abuse and child exploitation
Law enforcement has documented real cases where generative AI tools were used to create child sexual abuse material — in one instance, a medical professional received a decades-long prison sentence for generating and distributing AI-produced sexual images of minors. Moreover, AI is being used by private individuals — including teenagers — to sexualize images of peers, causing profound emotional trauma, reputational damage, and long-lasting harm to young people’s lives.
These are not hypothetical risks; they are occurring today in real communities, and they show that unchecked AI use can put children directly in harm's path.
Other Harms of Unregulated AI
AI doesn’t only threaten political integrity and children’s welfare. It has real life risks that have already caused harm or have great potential to harm if left unchecked:
- Data privacy issues
- Intellectual property infringement
- Job loss
- Lack of transparency
- Unsafe decision-making by law enforcement, doctors, etc.
These are real harms and real people have already experienced many due to the lack of adequate oversight of AI.
My Response: SB 1012
To confront these threats, I am proud to sponsor Senate Bill 1012. SB 1012 creates new state provisions relating to artificially generated content, especially where it intersects with elections and exploitation.
Key components of SB 1012 include:
- Election Transparency. Political ads, communications, and public messaging content created or modified using AI must clearly disclose that they contain AI-generated elements, with violations.
- Criminal Penalties for Harmful Deepfakes: The bill establishes criminal offenses for creating or threatening to publicly disclose deepfakes of individuals under 18 with penalties ranging from class E to class B felonies depending on severity.
SB 1012 is common sense legislation that protects elections and safeguards children while respecting innovation and political expression.
Why a Federal Clampdown on States Is No Solution
On December 11, 2025 the President signed an executive order attempting to centralize AI policy and restrict states from creating regulations of their own. Critics — including many state leaders — argue this overreaches and could prevent states from protecting their residents while Congress fails to act.
Executive orders are not legislation and cannot preempt state law absent specific congressional authorization. States have long exercised authority over consumer protection, child welfare, elections, and safety — areas where AI is already creating novel harms. Preempting state authority at this critical moment risks leaving citizens exposed and communities unprotected.
States must be able to act when technology outpaces federal law. Missouri will not shrug off that responsibility.
Welcome Innovation With Common Sense
We should welcome technology that improves lives. But welcome does not mean blind trust. The stories above are proof that when companies and governments move faster than common-sense protections, ordinary people are the ones who get hurt. I respect the principle of federal leadership, but not when it weakens the ability of states to defend their citizens.
If Washington insists on trying to preempt state action, we should not abandon our duty to protect our communities. I will keep fighting for common-sense rules that keep families safe, preserve our freedoms, and hold those who profit from technology accountable when their systems harm people.
Missouri can - and must - do better.
This week, Secretary of State Denny Hoskins hosted something unprecedented in Missouri: a public demonstration of election equipment. To my knowledge, this level of transparency has never been offered before. Although I would prefer all Missouri elections be conducted without this type of election equipment, I am grateful for the opportunity to attend and learn more about how the technology behind our elections is designed to function.
Events like this matter. At a time when many Missourians have sincere questions about election integrity, offering an open, hands-on look at the machines available to our local election authorities is an important step toward rebuilding trust. I deeply appreciate the Secretary’s willingness to provide that access—not only for legislators, but for the public as well.
The demonstration featured equipment from Hart InterCivic, currently the only election machine company in compliance with the March 25, 2025, executive order requiring 2.0 security standards. Their participation offered valuable insight into what compliant technology looks like and what it means for secure elections going forward.
While inclement weather unfortunately kept some from attending, I am hopeful that this will be the first of many educational opportunities. More transparency, more information, and more public engagement can only help strengthen confidence in Missouri’s election systems.
It is also important to note that the Secretary of State’s office does not have the authority to mandate or prohibit the use of election equipment nor dictate the vendor used. Those decisions rest with local election authorities. Even so, Secretary Hoskins has made a commendable effort to provide clarity and education—especially for those who have genuine concerns or simply want to better understand how these systems work. For that, his efforts are sincerely appreciated.
Missourians deserve confidence in their elections, and transparency is a powerful tool in ensuring it. We look forward to seeing more opportunities like this in the future.
Today, Friday September 12th, the 2nd special session ended with our Republican-led senate passing both the redrawn congressional map and a ballot measure on initiative petition reform.
Earlier this week, I expressed my frustration with the process of how this came to be. My feelings about the process remain the same. However, the process and the legislation itself are separate issues.
The Map
After much examination of the data on the proposed map it was clear that in most regards it is more compact compared to the map we currently have. Also, there are less counties split into different districts. My choice to vote in favor of the new map was based on comparing the two maps and their corresponding data.
The conservatives in the senate fought to pass a 7-1 map in 2022, but they were unable to accomplish their goal. Although I would've preferred the Republicans pass a 7-1 map at that time, just after the census, I had to make a choice between the two maps I was given. I believe the new 7-1 map is better suited to represent Missouri as a whole, so I voted in support. HB 1 passed with a final vote of 21-11.
The Democrats spoke on the bill and expressed their opinions about the legislation as well as the function of the senate for around 4 1/2 hours. It was clear, though, that the bill was going to pass regardless how many hours were spent in a filibuster and keeping the legislature in special session means taxpayer dollars are spent needlessly. The republicans gathered the needed signatures for the previous question (PQ) motion to stop the filibuster and they had more than enough votes to approve both the PQ motion and pass the bill.
You can see the new congressional map below.
IP Reform Going to the Ballot Box
After the map passed, HJR 3 was offered which is a resolution (not a statutory change) that changes the ratification requirements for amendments to our state constitution via initiative petition and will make a few other adjustments to that process as well, IF it passes at the ballot box.
My vote in support of HJR 3 was a vote to allow Missouri voters to decide how they want the Missouri Constitution to be changed. This ballot measure proposes that it would require a majority vote in each of the 8 congressional districts to approve an amendment before it can be added to the constitution. It only applies to the initiative petitions, not measures referred by the legislature such as HJR 3.
HJR 3 passed with a vote of 21-11 and will be at the ballot box in 2026.
Today, Wednesday, Sept 10, the Missouri Senate was reduced to a theatrical show. I was embarrassed to say the least. In my opinion, the theatrics became a mockery of what should be the most honorable body of deliberation in Missouri, and it could've been easily avoided if it had been handled appropriately.
I want to explain the statement I made in an inquiry with my democrat colleague, Senator Doug Beck. You can listen to the entire exchange below.
Click the link and go to the 29.47 mark.
First Came The Call
The 2nd extraordinary session of the year began in the senate today (Sept. 10) in Jefferson City after a call from Governor Kehoe to take up congressional redistricting and initiative petition (IP) reform. The push for new congressional districts is one we are seeing across the country as the republican party tries to save as many U.S. congressional seats as possible in the midterm elections in order to keep the majority.
Do I want the republicans to keep the majority in congress? Of course I do. But HOW we go about doing it matters.
Behind the Curtain
What has happened here in Jefferson City is that we've been given a map that moves Missouri's congressional district lines, dividing urban Kansas City and combining my entire senate district with several rural counties across mid-Missouri. The effect of this is that the 5th district will change from being held by a Democrat to a Republican. This is Emmanuel Cleaver's district and it currently includes the city of Independence which is the largest city in my district.
The senate is supposed to be a deliberative body. One that allows for each senator to speak at any time and for as long as he wishes. This is what makes the senate different from the House. Senators voices are not supposed to be silenced. We each represent approximately 185,000 constituents. When senators are silenced, the voices of their constituents are silenced.
We were called into this special session to take up and consider two issues. What has happened is that the bills were drafted, filed and they are being railroaded through the legislature without any actual deliberation or opportunity to make changes. That's not uncommon in the House, where they operate with a different set of rules that gives virtually all the power to the Speaker. But in the senate, each senator is supposed to have the power to stand, be heard and weigh in on the issue at hand with the expectation that as the bill moves through the process it will be changed in a way that works for the majority. But that isn't what's happening here.
I Wasn't Elected to Be a Puppet
What's happening is we have been handed only one version of a map and only one version of an IP reform bill. And we are being "highly encouraged" to take them up and pass them exactly as they have been sent to us from the House.
My voice has effectively been silenced and my ability to have any influence in the actual content of these bills is basically zero. The same is true for every other senator in this chamber. We have been given two pieces of legislation which are very important and we will have no real input as to their outcome except for either a yes or no vote.
We are a sovereign state and I am a firm supporter of the tenth amendment to the U.S. Constitution which states;
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.
Therefore, we should not take orders from Washington. As an elected state senator my first and foremost priority is to represent my constituents in my district and make decisions based on what is best for the people of the state of Missouri.
The congressional map was a hot topic in 2022 when they drew the lines for the map we have now. The conservatives tried to get a 7-1 map at that time and they were unable to accomplish the task - even with a republican supermajority. And now, they are steamrolling a 7-1 map through the legilslature! I've only just today been given any data or information this new map was based on.
Initiative petition reform has been debated in this building for a decade or more, but somehow there is a brand new version that has not ever been 'vetted" by the legislative process and we are expected to take it up and pass it without making any changes.
This isn't what I was elected to do. I didn't promise my constituents that I would come here to rubber stamp what the party wanted. I came here to represent the people in my district and preserve our freedom and liberty.
PQ Politics
Everyone here knew the democrats would filibuster. Instead of allowing the filibuster to work, republican leadership prefers to shut down any filibuster attempts with a PQ, Previous Question. This means we don't have to be here working as long, but it's harmful to both how the senate is functioning now and how it will function in the future.
We are setting incredibly bad precedent. The senate needs to continue to be the slow, deliberative body it was designed to be.
Steamrolling legislation through a process that is all theater & shutting down the voices of senators in the process is NOT beneficial. It's harmful to the legislative process, to the future of the senate and most of all it's harmful to the people of Missouri.
The Process vs The Legislation
The legislation being presented is far from perfect, but my complaint isn't with the legislation itself it's with the process. Tomorrow, the Local Government and Elections Committee will meet and hear both bills being considered. I'm honored to sit on the committee and looking forward to having continued conversations on the policy & the process. There is much work to do and I'm committed to working on behalf of my constituents and all the people of Missouri.
Even though the legislative session has wrapped up, the interim has been anything but slow. In fact, it’s been one of the busiest times of the year as I’ve been working to meet with constituents, connect with community leaders, and host events across the district.
Earlier in the summer, we hosted another Senior Property Tax Forum where we worked to educate our seniors about how to take advantage of the property tax credit. The tax credit has helped thousands of our seniors across the state and it's a privilege to be able to help make sure our seniors in Jackson County are taken care of.
The 4th of July parade in Sugar Creek is always a great event & this year was no exception. Team Nicola had so much fun celebrating our freedom. Being with the people in our community is the best part of my work as your senator.
In early August, I had the privilege of hosting our Veterans Expo, which brought together resources, organizations, and individuals dedicated to serving the men and women who have sacrificed so much for our country. It was inspiring to see veterans, families, and supporters come together, and I’m grateful to everyone who helped make that event possible.
Just this past weekend, we also held a grassroots workshop at the Capitol where we discussed the importance of citizen involvement in government and brought speakers from the Secretary of State's office as well as the State Tax Commission and a county assessor. It was encouraging to see so many people eager to learn, get engaged, and use their voices effectively.
Alongside community events, I’ve been serving on three interim special committees. Two of these committees are focused on taxes and property tax, an issue that affects every homeowner and family in Missouri. I take this responsibility seriously and am committed to working toward solutions that protect taxpayers and ensure fairness in our system. I’ve also been serving on a committee led by my colleague Senator Mike Moon that is examining the issue of DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) in our state institutions. These conversations are important as we evaluate policies and make sure they align with Missouri values.
In addition, I continue to serve on the Drug Abuse & Addiction Taskforce. The fentanyl crisis and the broader issue of substance abuse continue to devastate families in our state. This work is deeply personal to many, and I am committed to doing everything possible to support prevention, recovery, and stronger policies to address this epidemic.
I want you to know that whether I’m in Jefferson City or here in the district, my priority is serving you. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to meet with me, share your concerns, or attend an event. I look forward to continuing these conversations and working together to strengthen our communities and our state.
