Creating sexually explicit ‘deepfake’ images will be made illegal in a new UK law, the Ministry of Justice announced.

Under the new offence, those who create these images without consent will face a criminal record and an unlimited fine. If the ‘deepfake’ image is shared more widely, offenders could be sent to jail.

The new law will mean that if someone creates a sexually explicit deepfake, even if they have no intent to share it but purely want to cause alarm, humiliation or distress to the victim, they will be committing a criminal offence.

It will also strengthen existing offences, as if a person both creates this kind of image and then shares it, the CPS could charge them with two offences, potentially leading to their sentence being increased.

Deepfake images have become a public scourge, targeting everyday citizens and celebrities alike. The fake images and videos are made to look hyper-realistic with the victim usually unaware and unable to give their consent to being sexualised in such a way.

With the rise of AI technology, deepfakes have never been easier to generate and disseminate.

Last year, reforms in the Online Safety Act criminalised the sharing of ‘deepfake’ intimate images for the first time. This new offence, which will be introduced through an amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill, will mean anyone who makes these sexually explicit deepfake images of adults maliciously and without consent will face the consequences of their actions.

“The creation of deepfake sexual images is despicable and completely unacceptable irrespective of whether the image is shared,” minister for victims and safeguarding, Laura Farris, said.

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“It is another example of ways in which certain people seek to degrade and dehumanise others – especially women. And it has the capacity to cause catastrophic consequences if the material is shared more widely. This government will not tolerate it.

“This new offence sends a crystal clear message that making this material is immoral, often misogynistic, and a crime.”

Further to criminalising deepfakes, the UK government has introduced more changes to the Criminal Justice Bill.

Under the new bill, it will be a criminal offence to intentionally take or record an intimate image or film without consent or a ‘reasonable belief’ in consent, take or record an intimate image or film without consent with the intent to cause alarm, distress or humiliation or for the purpose of sexual gratification.