ZACHARY — A Zachary man was arrested over the weekend on 50 counts of child pornography, including deepfaked images of children created using artificial intelligence to create images "that appear indistinguishable from real child pornography," Louisiana Bureau of Investigation arrest records show.

Matthew Duncan, 41, was arrested Saturday for exchanging pornography involving children under the age of thirteen, an arrest warrant says. He was also booked on three counts of unlawful deepfakes.

Duncan was under investigation by state investigators after receiving a tip about child pornography from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on Friday. The next day, agents searched Duncan's home and found over 50 images and videos of child pornography, an affidavit says.

The children in the photos and videos ranged from toddlers to 10-year-olds, investigators said. Duncan allegedly used the messaging app KIK to exchange child pornography with others online. KIK is frequently used as evidence in child pornography investigations. 

After he was arrested, Duncan told agents that he had sent multiple clothed pictures of children to an individual online, who would use an artificial intelligence program to create images that appeared to be child pornography. At least five such images were found, records show.