New Zealand is set to introduce the Deepfake Digital Harm and Exploitation Bill, which will criminalise the creation, distribution, or sale of sexualised deepfakes without consent.

The move responds to the surge of AI-generated sexual content, particularly targeting women, including the reported creation of up to three million images using platforms like Elon Musk’s Grok AI.

While criminalisation aligns New Zealand with other nations such as the UK, Australia, South Korea, and the US, experts argue that legal action alone is insufficient to curb the problem.

Existing laws, including the Harmful Digital Communications Act 2015 and revenge porn offences, do not fully address entirely fabricated images, leaving gaps in protections.The new bill broadens the definition of an “intimate visual recording” to encompass images that are created, synthesised, or altered by AI.

Advocates stress that regulating high-risk AI apps is essential, noting that many nudification and face-swap apps remain accessible on app stores despite policies prohibiting sexually explicit content.

Recommendations include mandatory safety measures in image-generation tools, stricter obligations for app stores, and transparency in AI training datasets.

The legislation represents a significant step forward, but authorities emphasise that preventing AI-facilitated sexual abuse will require both criminal law and proactive regulation of technology itself.