the United Kingdom will sanction the manufacture of false pornographic images

The development of consumer tools based on AI is leading to a multitude of “deepfakes” or sexual hyperfakes.

The United Kingdom wants to sanction the production and publication of false pornographic images, or sexual “deepfakes”, the spread of which is increasing with the development of artificial intelligence technologies, the Conservative government announced on Tuesday. These hyperfakes are images, videos or audio recordings made using AI, giving the illusion of being real or showing people saying things they never said.

Creating such a pornographic image, even without the intention of sharing it, will soon be considered a criminal offense, punishable by a fine in the UK. Sharing an image, even without creation, will be punishable by a prison sentence, the Ministry of Justice announced in a press release.

Women particularly targeted

“The creation of false pornographic images is despicable and completely unacceptable, whether those images are shared or not”said the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Victims and Protection, Laura Farris, quoted in this press release. “This is yet another example of how some people seek to dehumanize and degrade other people, particularly women. And this can lead to catastrophic consequences if the image is shared.”she insisted.

At the start of the year, the distribution of false pornographic images of global star Taylor Swift sparked a wave of indignation. The new sanctions announced on Tuesday must be integrated into a more general law on justice currently being examined in Parliament.