Britain will be the first country to introduce laws against AI tools used to create child abuse images, the government announced on Saturday.
The new law will make it illegal to own, create, or share AI tools that generate sexual images of children. Those who break this law could face up to five years in prison, said Interior Minister Yvette Cooper.
It will also be against the law to possess AI “paedophile manuals,” which teach people how to abuse children using AI. This crime will carry a penalty of up to three years in prison.
Cooper described AI-driven child abuse as a serious and growing problem. She said AI is making it easier for criminals to manipulate images and groom children online.
The new law will also ban AI models used for child abuse. “Other countries are not doing this yet, but I hope they will follow,” Cooper added.
According to the government, AI tools are being misused to edit real images of children or combine children’s faces with existing photos to create abuse images.
The law will also target criminals who run websites for sharing child abuse content or advice on grooming children. They could face up to ten years in prison.
A report found that about 500,000 children in the UK suffer abuse every year, with online abuse increasing.
The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) warned that AI-generated child abuse images are rising. In just 30 days in 2024, IWF analysts found 3,512 AI-generated child abuse images on a single dark web site. The most severe cases have increased by 10% in a year.
These new rules will be part of the Crime and Policing Bill, which will be introduced in Parliament soon.
Source: indiatimes
