UK Officially Bans AI From Creating Child Abuse Content, Violators Can Be Imprisoned!

British Interior Minister, Yvette Cooper (Photo: x @YvetteCooperMP)

JAKARTA The British government will use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to create images of child sexual abuse as a crime. This move makes Britain the first country in the world to introduce new law violations related to sexual harassment using AI.

In England and Wales, possession, manufacture, distribution, and spread of explicit images of children are already criminal acts. However, this new law specifically targets the use of AI tools capable of converting children's images into indecent content or "nudeify."

This step was taken in line with the increasing use of AI by online criminals to create child sexual abuse material. Reports from the Internet Watch Foundation show that the number of explicit AI-made images is almost fivefold increasing in 2024.

"We know that predatory activity in cyberspace often leads to physical violence in the real world," said British Interior Minister Yvette Cooper, quoted by VOI from Reurters. It is very important for us to deal with sexual abuse of children, both online and offline, to protect the public from crimes that continue to grow.

The British government also revealed that predators use AI to hide their identities and blackmail children with fake images to force them to commit further abuse, including through live broadcasts.

In this new regulation, criminal acts also include ownership, manufacture, or distribution of AI tools designed to create material for sexual abuse of children. In addition, ownership of an AI pedophile book containing guidelines on how to use this technology will also be considered a violation of the law.

Other special breaches will target individuals operating websites that distribute child sexual abuse content. The government will also authorize law enforcement officials to open digital devices for further investigation.

This step will be included in the Crime and Police Bill which will be submitted to parliament in the near future.

Earlier this month, the British government also announced that the creation and deployment of an explicit "deepfake" video, image, or voice recording made using AI to make it look real will be categorized as a criminal act.