A Labour think tank has backed calls for a ban on artificial intelligence (AI) tools that allow users to digitally undress women and children.
It came after a poll by the Christian social policy charity CARE found that almost eight in ten Brits are in favour of a ban.
The poll asked participants if: “Websites and apps that use AI to simulate sexually explicit content such as undressing women and children should be banned by the government.”
Seven in ten respondents strongly agreed (69 per cent) and one in ten (10 per cent) somewhat agreed. The number of respondents who strongly agreed rises to almost eight in ten (75 per cent), discounting those who preferred not to answer.
A policy paper by the centre-left Labour Together think tank supports a legal ban on the so called “nudification” tools that allow users to generate explicit content by uploading images of real people. The proposals would also create an obligation for developers of general purpose AI tools and web hosting companies to take reasonable steps to ensure they are not involved in the production of such images.
Louise Davies MBE, director of advocacy and policy at CARE, commented:
“Last year it was estimated that links advertising ‘nudification’ tools increased by 2,400 per cent. This sinister tech allows users to digitally undress women and children in photographs. Some platforms also allow users to create new pornographic videos where subjects appear to do whatever the user asks.
“This tech dehumanises women and girls. And deepfake images, often created and shared without consent, cause serious mental and physical distress to victims. A ban is supported by the public at large, and it is the morally right course of action. We would urge Labour to officially adopt this proposal."
Laurel Boxall, one of the paper’s co-authors told The Guardian:
“The government has to show the public that it’s got their back and will step in if tech is being used to hurt people. We mustn’t forget that AI can help us; regulation ensures it doesn’t hurt us too.”