Creeps who use artificial intelligence to create and circulate deepfake pornographic images without consent will soon face lengthy jail terms under tough new Federal laws. Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus on Saturday announced the Government would next week introduce the Criminal Code Amendment (Deepfake Sexual Material) Bill to Parliament. The bill will make it a criminal offence to share non-consensual deepfake pornography, including through the use of AI or other technology. People who share the material will face up to six years in prison, while those who create or share the videos will face an aggravated charge that carries a penalty of up to seven years behind bars. Mr Dreyfus said digitally-created and altered sexually explicit material could be “damaging and deeply distressing” when shared without consent. “We know it overwhelmingly affects women and girls who are the target of this kind of deeply offensive and harmful behaviour. It can inflict deep, long-lasting harm on victims,” he said. “The Albanese Government has no tolerance for this sort of insidious criminal behaviour.” Mr Dreyfus said the reforms would make it clear perpetrators who used technology, including AI, would be subject to “serious criminal penalties”. The laws only apply to deepfake images of adults because the creation, possession and circulation of child abuse material will sit separately in the criminal code. The new offence follows other Government action to tackle deepfakes such as increased funding for the eSafety Commissioner and moving the review of the Online Safety Act a year ahead of schedule. That review is set to examine emerging online dangers such as deepfakes and doxxing, as well as the implications of social media algorithms. Earlier this year, AI-generated deepfake images of Taylor Swift circulated on X, formerly Twitter, that superimposed the pop star’s face onto explicit photos. The scandal prompted state lawmakers across the US to criminalise circulating pornographic deepfakes without permission. Deepfakes are also used to spread disinformation, with a fabricated video of US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller emerging this week of the official discussing American policy in regards to Ukrainian strikes inside Russia’s border. The video — which manipulated genuine footage — convincingly showed Mr Miller identify the city of Belgorod as a suitable target for attack.