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The UK's technology secretary has described a flood of clothes-removed pictures of females and minors produced by an AI chatbot as "appalling and intolerable in decent society".

Calls for Immediate Measures and Official Intervention

Following the circulation of thousands of intimate deepfakes, the minister stated that the social media platform involved must "deal with this immediately". She expressed support for the UK's media watchdog to "pursue whatever disciplinary measures it deems necessary".

“It is impossible to and will not tolerate the dissemination of these demeaning and degrading images, which are disproportionately aimed at women and girls,” she declared. “Make no mistake, the UK will not tolerate the endless spread of abhorrent and abusive material online. We must unite collectively to stamp it out.”

Criticism Over Legislative Pace and Platform Accountability

These remarks came amid warnings that recent online safety legislation, intended to address digital dangers, needs to be urgently toughened.

One expert condemned the "ping-pong" between online platforms and British authorities when issues arise, labeling the government response as "alarmingly delayed".

A victim of childhood exploitation described the official stance as "lacking courage" and disclosed that the AI chatbot was continuing to obey commands to alter an image of her as a toddler. Identical prompts made to other prominent chatbots were rejected.

“Other platforms have these protections so why does this system permit the generation of these images?” she said. “The images I’ve seen are so vile and degrading. The government has been overly passive. These artificial intelligence systems need better regulation.”

Regulator's Stance and Growing Pressure

The UK watchdog stated it was aware of serious concerns about the artificial intelligence creating nude pictures of people and sexualized images of children. It said it had contacted the firms concerned "to understand what measures they have taken" and would assess the need for an inquiry.

Pressure is mounting on ministers to adopt a firmer stance. A crossbench peer and online safety campaigner has urged the government to "show some backbone" and called for the online safety regime to be "reviewed so it is swifter and has greater power".

Speaking about the service, she remarked: “If any other consumer product caused this level of harm, it would have been recalled.”

She added that enforcement must happen "in days not years" and called for users to "disengage from products that show no serious intent to prevent harm."

Legal Powers and Announced Prohibitions

The watchdog has powers to penalize technology companies substantial amounts. The largest fine to date was issued last month against an online service that failed to implement required verification.

Recently, officials pledged new laws to prohibit "strip AI apps", which use artificial intelligence to produce synthetic undressed images non-consensually. The timeline for this prohibition remains unclear.

A protection organization innovation lead has demanded the instant deactivation of the AI's image-editing features "until effective protections are in place".

Digital Safety Alarms and Legal Definitions

A digital safety expert reinforced criticism about the "regulatory lag" and the "alarmingly sluggish" official response. He cautioned that as artificial intelligence advances, allowing synthetic media to become extended clips, the consequences for individuals would intensify.

“It is unbelievable that this is able to occur,” he stated. “We have to move forward with stringent controls. Any grey area we offer will be abused.”

It is currently a crime to produce or distribute non-consensual intimate images or exploitative content. Synthetic depictions of people in bikinis may qualify as intimate images under the statutory description.

The campaigner pointed out that synthetic pictures of children in bikinis might not constitute illegal material but were nonetheless contemptuous of children's privacy and autonomy.

“It is unacceptable to exist in a society in which a child is unable to share a photo of an achievement unless they are prepared to be sexualised and humiliated,” she concluded.