UK Criminalizes Creation of AI-Generated Non-Consensual Intimate Images

Summary

On January 12, 2026, UK Technology Secretary Liz Kendall announced to the House of Commons that the creation of non-consensual intimate images is now a specific criminal offence under the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, which was brought into force that week. The law targets the act of creation itself, not just distribution, closing a legal gap that previously allowed AI-generated intimate images of adults to exist in a grey area if they were never shared. The offence covers "purported images,"