South Australia has introduced stringent new penalties targeting individuals involved in the creation or distribution of harmful and explicit deepfake content online.

These pioneering regulations are designed to safeguard residents against the dangers posed by the fast-evolving landscape of artificial intelligence technology.

The laws specifically target the generation of intrusive, humiliating, or degrading images using AI that resemble real individuals.

Offenders found guilty of producing or sharing such material could face fines up to $20,000 or a prison term of up to four years.

Additionally, the court may mandate the seizure of any equipment used to create the illicit content.

“Deep fakes are somewhere over ninety per cent non-consensual pornography, with the victims being 99 per cent women and girls,” Attorney-General Kyam Maher said.

In addition to the penalties for creators and distributors, the legislation also includes provisions for educational initiatives. The curriculum will be continuously adjusted to educate students about both the beneficial and detrimental aspects of AI technology.

“It is incumbent on us as people who run the education and are preparing these young people for the world of work that they are going to enter that they have a really strong understanding of how to use that technology in a productive way,” Education Minister Blair Boyer said.

Explicit deepfakes have surged in recent years, up 550 per cent since 2019. 

In response, schools are now teaching lessons on image analysis to help students distinguish between authentic and manipulated content.

“We are coming further into AI being far more prevalent than it ever has been and we can’t back away from it,” one year 11 student said.

“We need to equip students with the skills to be able to tackle it not tell them to be fearful of it.”.

While the laws came into effect today, the legislation also applies retroactively. 

Individuals who disseminate images created before today’s date may still face penalties under the new regulations.