EU lawmakers push to ban AI undressing tools, but enforcement remains unclear
EU Lawmakers Move to Ban AI Nudifiers, but Enforcement Remains Unclear
The European Parliament voted to adopt rules banning AI systems used to generate non-consensual intimate images, one of the most supported measures in the AI omnibus package aimed at simplifying the EU's AI Act. The package stems from a provisional agreement reached on May 7, adding a ban on so-called nudifiers, requiring companies to set up safeguards, and potentially removing non-compliant systems from the EU market by the end of the year. The agreement requires that consent be free, specific, informed, unambiguous, and explicit, and allows the generation of synthetic intimate content when all parties consent, while excluding fictional characters and certain artistic, cartoon, and medical uses. Enforcement remains a challenge, with only eight member states having designated market surveillance authorities, and regulators in Luxembourg and Lithuania say they have no power to enforce the AI Act until national legislation is passed. Violations of the ban can be fined up to 35 million euros or 7% of global annual turnover, and the nudifier ban is set to take effect on December 2.
The EU AI omnibus lists non-consensual intimate image generation systems as a prohibited use, but most member states have not yet designated enforcement authorities, and the implementation of the ban still depends on national legislation.