Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of AI chatbot systems to facilitate stalking and harassment; and what steps they are taking to ensure that existing online safety, data protection and criminal law frameworks remain effective in addressing harms arising from the misuse of those technologies.

The Government continues to take steps to protect the UK public from crimes linked to the misuse of artificial intelligence (AI). This includes when AI is used to aid or facilitate stalking and harassment.

The Online Safety Act already regulates many generative AI services. However, the Government acknowledges that gaps remain, leading to inconsistent coverage of certain AI chatbot services.

We are addressing these gaps as a matter of urgency through an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill. Through a new delegated power, we will be able to bring currently unregulated AI chatbots into the scope of the Online Safety Act. This will ensure they are subject to requirements to protect users from illegal content and activity.

We are also taking action on so called ‘nudification’ tools, legislating through the Crime and Policing Bill to criminalise the development and supply of tools for generating non-consensual intimate images.

Beyond these measures, we will continue to work closely with law enforcement to tackle the harms presented by AI. The National Centre for VAWG and Public Protection (NCVPP) continues to act as the subject matter expert on ongoing work relating to AI and VAWG in policing, to ensure that safeguarding is a core part of AI tools and models.