UK Set to Ban AI Tools Used for Child Sexual Abuse
- Update Time : 08:13:59 am, Sunday, 2 February 2025
- / 411 Time View
Britain will become the first country to introduce laws prohibiting AI tools used to generate sexual abuse images, according to a government announcement on Saturday. The new legislation will make it illegal to possess, create, or distribute AI tools designed to generate sexualized images of children, with penalties of up to five years in prison. It will also criminalize the possession of AI “paedophile manuals” that instruct individuals on how to use AI for child sexual abuse, carrying a sentence of up to three years in prison. Interior Minister Yvette Cooper emphasized that these laws aim to protect children from online sexual abuse and predators who may use AI to create harmful images, which can lead to real-world abuse. The new regulations will also target predators operating websites where they share abusive content or offer advice on grooming children, with penalties of up to ten years in prison. This initiative will be included in the Crime and Policing Bill to be presented in Parliament. The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) has highlighted the increasing production of AI-generated child abuse images, citing a rise in the number of images found on dark web sites in 2024.
