AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – Two dozen people were arrested this week for their role in a criminal group that distributed images generated by artificial intelligence of children being sexually abused, the European Union’s police agency said on Friday.
The operation is one of the first involving AI-generated child abuse material, Europol said, adding there was a lack of national legislation surrounding the use of AI tools for this purpose.
The main suspect, a Danish national, ran an online platform where he distributed the AI-generated material he produced. Users around the world paid a “symbolic online payment” to access the platform.
The operation is ongoing, with authorities from 19 countries including Australia, Spain and the United Kingdom involved.
Most of the 25 arrests were carried out simultaneously on Wednesday in the operation led by Danish authorities, said Europol, without identifying the countries where the arrests took place. More are expected in the coming weeks, it said.
(Reporting by Makini Brice; Editing by Ros Russell)
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