UK MP seeks legal safeguards against AI likenesses created without consent

Labour MP Dawn Butler has introduced the Artificial Intelligence (Consent and Misuse) Bill in the House of Commons, seeking to mandate consent before artificial intelligence is utilized to generate a person's likeness. The proposed legislation outlines provisions for civil action and penalties for non-compliance. Should individuals fail to provide consent, they would be empowered to seek legal recourse.

Additionally, the Bill introduces criminal offenses pertaining to the generation and dissemination of such likenesses, coupled with obligations imposed on AI providers to prevent misuse of their technology. Butler contends that technology firms cannot be entrusted with self-regulation, stressing that public safety should supersede corporate profits.

"AI companies cannot self-regulate. We've witnessed that before, and we know it doesn't work," she emphasized. "Public safety must take precedence over the profits of tech billionaires." The proposal emerges amidst growing apprehension regarding AI tools capable of generating lifelike images of individuals in scenarios they never consented to, including explicit content crafted from ordinary photographs.

This technology has simplified the manipulation of a person's appearance and the creation of convincing fabrications, prompting questions about the effectiveness of existing laws in safeguarding those whose images are used without permission. Butler has previously advocated for a digital bill of rights centered on human dignity, bodily autonomy, and consent.

She has emphasized that protections should be grounded in the rights of individuals, rather than rules tied to specific applications that may rapidly become obsolete. "Whether it is your image, your voice, or your identity, these must be central in this debate and protected in law," she wrote earlier this year. Butler's proposal follows another Labour backbencher's effort to address the legal ramifications of emerging technology.

Chi Onwurah introduced the Personal Data (Digital Twins) Bill in September, aiming to regulate the use of software and algorithms that model individuals' preferences or behavior using personal data. Butler's Bill was presented on October 20 and is set to undergo its second reading on November 27.