The United Kingdom (UK) will be the first country to introduce new laws targeting AI tools designed to generate sexual abuse images of children, as announced by the government on Saturday.
Under the new legislation, it will be illegal to possess, create, or distribute AI tools that generate sexualised images of children.
Offenders could face up to five years in prison for engaging in such activities. Additionally, it will also be illegal to possess AI “paedophile manuals”—documents that instruct individuals on how to use AI for child sexual abuse—with a punishment of up to three years in prison.
Yvette Cooper, the UK’s Interior Minister, expressed grave concern over the growing threat posed by AI-generated content, stating, “We know that sick predators’ activities online often lead to them carrying out the most horrific abuse in person.“
The government has stressed the need to protect children from online predators who use AI to exploit images of children.
Cooper emphasised that the new laws were intended to keep children safe in an increasingly digitally connected world.
The laws target AI-generated abuse images created by “nudeifying” real-life photos or by “stitching” children’s faces onto inappropriate images.
The new laws will also criminalise the actions of predators running websites that promote child sexual abuse content or offer grooming advice, with a maximum penalty of ten years in prison.
This sweeping new legislation will be part of the Crime and Policing Bill, expected to come before parliament soon.
The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) has raised alarms about the rapid increase in AI-generated child abuse images.
During a 30-day period in 2024, IWF analysts identified over 3,500 AI-generated abuse images on just one dark website. They also reported a 10 per cent rise in the most serious category of images over the past year.
