The United Kingdom has announced it will make it illegal to use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to create child sexual abuse material, marking the first country to introduce such AI-related offenses. This new legislation is part of a broader effort to address the rising concern of online criminals using AI to create explicit images of children. Under the current law in England and Wales, possessing, making, showing, or distributing explicit images of children is a criminal act, but the new offenses will specifically target the use of AI tools to manipulate real-life images of children.
The move comes as reports of AI-generated child abuse material have surged nearly five-fold in 2024, according to the Internet Watch Foundation. “We know that sick predators’ activities online often lead to them carrying out the most horrific abuse in person,” said Britain’s interior minister Yvette Cooper. She emphasized the importance of tackling both online and offline child sexual abuse to better protect the public from emerging threats.
In addition to AI-generated content, predators are also using AI tools to create fake images for blackmail, coercing children into further abuse, such as through live streaming. The new legislation will criminalize the possession, creation, or distribution of AI tools designed to produce child sexual abuse material, as well as the possession of “paedophile manuals” that provide instructions on using such technologies.
A further offense will target the operators of websites that distribute such harmful content, and authorities will be empowered to unlock and inspect digital devices involved in these crimes. These measures will be incorporated into the Crime and Policing Bill when it is introduced in parliament. Earlier this month, the UK also announced plans to make the creation and sharing of AI-generated “deepfake” content, including videos, pictures, and audio clips that are sexually explicit, a criminal offense.
