UK sex offenders banned from using AI tools over deepfakes threat: report

UK sex offenders also ordered to pay huge fines (representative)

A UK court has banned sex offenders from using any “artificial intelligence-created tools” for the next five years. Anthony Dover was convicted of taking more than 1,000 indecent images of children, The Guardian reports.

The 48-year-old was also ordered to pay a £200 fine.

The ban prohibits Dover from using a text-to-image generator, a tool that can create realistic pictures based on written commands, the report added. Additionally, it can reportedly be used to create apparent “deepfakes.”

The report states that records from the sentencing hearing at Poole Magistrates’ Court show that Dover was also ordered to stay away from the Stable Diffusion software.

It is important to note that the Stable Diffusion software has reportedly been exploited by pedophiles to create hyper-realistic child sexual abuse material.

The case was reported just days after the British government said it would criminalize sexually explicit “deepfakes” manipulated using artificial intelligence.

The government says people who create deepfakes without consent, even if they did not intend to share the image or video, will face prosecution.

But if deepfakes are widely distributed, the creators could be jailed. The new offense will be introduced through an amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill.

Victims and Protection Minister Laura Farris said it would send a “clear message: creating deepfakes is unethical, often misogynistic and criminal”.

She added: “Deepfakes are often designed to cause panic, humiliation or distress to victims and should be dealt with harshly. This is another example of someone seeking to demean and dehumanize others, especially women. If The material is shared more widely and it has the potential to have catastrophic consequences. “This government will not tolerate this.”