Minnesota House Passes Landmark Bill to Ban AI Nudification Apps with $500K Penalties

Minnesota Passes Landmark Bill to Ban AI Nudification Apps

The Minnesota House has passed a landmark bill to ban AI nudification apps and websites that create explicit images of people, mostly women, without consent. On Thursday, the Minnesota House passed HF 1606, a bill to prohibit the use of nudification technology in the state. The legislation would make Minnesota the first state to take this step to prevent the creation of AI-generated non-consensual intimate images. So-called nudification or "nudify" apps use AI to alter photographs of real people, making them appear naked, placing them in pornographic videos, or turning them into sexually explicit chatbots. The Minnesota bill "prohibits the access, download, or use of nudification technology, except when the website, app, or software requires the substantial application of technological or artistic skill by a human creator directing and controlling the output," according to the House. It targets programs that use AI to fabricate a nude photo or pornographic video from someone's image. Under the bill, companies that violate the law could face civil penalties of up to $500,000. It also allows victims to pursue damages. "The misuse of this technology has harmed too many people," Rep. Hanson, who authored the bill, says in a press release. "It has empowered and enabled pedophiles and sexual predators to increasingly profit while causing more and more harm around the globe, particularly to children." "These apps are readily available in nearly every app store, and we should not leave this dangerous tool to be weaponized by more and more predators," she adds. HF 1606 now needs a Senate floor vote and passage to make its way to Governor Walz's desk to get signed into law. However, according to CBS News, in December, the Trump administration announced it would challenge AI laws made at the state level and revealed plans for a "comprehensive national legislative framework" for regulating the technology. President Trump suggested he will sign an AI executive order, sparking fears it would upend Minnesota's regulations -- despite U.S. senators voting to strike down a proposed 10-year ban that would have blocked states and local governments from creating their own regulations around the technology. The news of Minnesota's ban come after an investigation revealed that Apple and Google are helping users find apps that create deepfake nude images. Apple App Store and Google Play hosted dozens of apps designed to digitally remove clothing from photographs of women -- despite policies that prohibit apps enabling the creation of nonconsensual sexualized images. The latest investigation found that the platforms' own search and advertising systems direct users toward these apps, increasing their visibility.

Minnesota House passes bill banning "nudification technology"

The Minnesota House has passed a bill to ban apps and websites that create fake, sexualized pictures of individuals. The bill "prohibits the access, download, or use of nudification technology, except when the website, app, or software requires the substantial application of technological or artistic skill by a human creator directing and controlling the output," according to the House. It targets programs that use AI to fabricate a nude photo or pornographic video from someone's image. The legislation subjects companies in violation to a civil penalty of up to half a million dollars, and allows victims to seek damages. A companion bill is also making its way through the state Senate. "No one should have to worry that nude images of themselves can be generated by AI, without their permission, at the push of a button," said Rep. Jess Hanson, who authored the bill. "This bill would not have been possible without the brave victims who told their heartbreaking stories about this exploitative AI feature." The bill passed on a vote of 132-1. State lawmakers previously made it illegal to create and distribute AI-generated sexually explicit material of someone, as well as to use deepfakes to influence the outcome of an election. The Trump administration last year announced it would challenge AI laws made at the state level, and last month announced a "comprehensive national legislative framework" for regulating the technology. The White House said "a patchwork of conflicting state laws would undermine American innovation and our ability to lead the global AI race." The White House itself has posted AI-altered images of Minnesota protesters on social media, and President Trump earlier this month posted an AI image of himself as Jesus.