UK to become first country to criminalise AI tools for child abuse images

The UK will become the first country to outlaw artificial intelligence tools used to create sexualised images of children.

The government announced that it will make possessing, creating, or distributing AI-generated abusive images a crime, punishable by up to five years in prison.

AI tools are being used to manipulate images, either by “nudeifying” real children’s photos or adding faces to existing images.

Possession of AI “paedophile manuals” will also be a crime, with up to three years in prison. The new laws will target predators running websites that distribute child abuse content or provide grooming advice, with penalties of up to 10 years in prison.