New UK law targets “despicable individuals” who create AI sex deepfakes

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses a new UK law that targets the creation of AI-generated sexually explicit deepfake images, even if the images are not widely shared. The law aims to enhance legal protections for women and address the growing issue of non-consensual deepfake pornography.

🙋 Q&A

[01] Overview of the New UK Law

1. What are the key provisions of the new UK law targeting AI-generated deepfake images?

• The new law would make it a criminal offense to create sexually explicit deepfake images of non-consenting adults, even if the images are not widely shared.
• Offenders would face prosecution and an unlimited fine, even if they do not intend to share the images but create them with the intent to distress the victim.
• The law is part of a broader effort by the UK government to enhance legal protections for women.

2. How does this new law differ from existing laws in the UK?

• The distinction is that the new law would criminalize the creation of sexually explicit deepfake images, whereas the existing Online Safety Act only criminalized the sharing of such images.
• The government states that existing laws already cover the creation of sexual deepfakes of children.

3. What is the rationale behind the new law?

• The rise of deep learning image synthesis technology has made it increasingly easy to create misleading and non-consensual pornography using deepfakes.
• The government aims to address the growing issue of deepfake pornography and provide stronger legal protections for victims.

[02] Broader Context and Implications

1. How widespread is the problem of non-consensual deepfake pornography?

• The issue is not unique to the UK, as evidenced by a case in Florida where deepfake nudes of female middle school classmates led to charges against two boys.
• The rise of open-source image synthesis models like Stable Diffusion has increased the urgency among regulators in the US and the UK to address this problem.

2. What are the potential impacts of the new law?

• The new law is intended to send a "crystal clear message" that the creation of deepfake sexual images is "despicable and completely unacceptable," regardless of whether the images are shared.
• The government hopes that the new law will provide stronger legal deterrents and protections for victims of non-consensual deepfake pornography.