UK Strengthens Punishment for Illegal Videos Made With AI

The UK government is significantly strengthening its punishment against illegal action that involves the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to superimpose someone else’s face onto explicit images or videos.

According to the British Ministry of Justice on the 16th (local time), if the amendment to the criminal law bill currently going through parliament is enacted, anyone who produces pornography using deepfake technology without the consent of the person concerned will be criminally prosecuted and face unlimited fines. This applies even if the creator had no intention of distributing the content.

If the created AI-generated pornographic video is leaked externally, the creator could be sentenced to imprisonment. The Online Safety Act, which has been in effect since last year, already punishes the sharing of deepfake images, so if the new legislation passes, the creation and distribution of deepfake pornography will violate two laws, leading to heavier punishments.

Laura Farris, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Safeguarding of the United Kingdom, emphasized, “Creating sexual images with deepfakes is unacceptable regardless of whether they are shared,” and “the new law carries a clear message that such behavior is an immoral crime and misogyny.” The main opposition, the Labor Party, also welcomed the government’s decision.

Meanwhile, according to a report by UK Channel 4 last month, an analysis of the five most visited deepfake pornography websites revealed that the faces of about 4,000 celebrities, including actors, singers, and YouTubers, were illicitly superimposed onto pornography.

The shocking fact that these websites had 100 million views in just three months was also revealed. As a result, there is an increasing sense of alarm in British society about crimes exploiting deepfake technology, and it is expected that this legal amendment will further strengthen crackdowns and punishments for deepfake crimes.