The EU ban on AI nudifier tools starts soon. From 2 December 2026, the EU Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act) adds a new item to its short list of banned practices: AI systems used to create sexualised images of real people without their consent, often called “nudify”, “nudifier” or “undress” apps, and child sexual abuse material made with AI.
The ban on nudifier apps is part of the Digital Omnibus on AI, Regulation (EU) 2026/1744, which entered into force on 27 July 2026. The European Parliament voted to ban these apps when it gave the package final approval on 16 June 2026. The same AI omnibus eased several AI rules, pushing back deadlines for high-risk AI systems, but it moved in the opposite direction on intimate-image abuse, responding to the rapid spread of nudification apps, which MEPs said overwhelmingly target women.
What the EU ban on AI nudifier apps covers
- AI systems whose purpose is to “undress” a photo of a real person or put their face or body into sexual imagery without consent, and image tools that can readily be used this way because they lack adequate safeguards.
- AI systems that generate sexually explicit images, video or audio of an identifiable person, or show their intimate parts, without consent. That includes sexualised deepfakes.
- Placing such systems on the EU market, putting them into service, or using them.
- AI-generated child sexual abuse material, which was already illegal under criminal law and is now named in the AI Act itself.
Does it cover general AI tools?
Yes, if they lack safeguards. The ban is not limited to apps sold as nudifiers. General AI tools that make images, or services built on general-purpose AI models, can only be offered if they have adequate technical safeguards against this output.
Why it matters outside Europe
The AI Act applies to anyone whose AI system is used in the EU, wherever the company is based. An app store listing, a website that people in Europe can reach, or a model offered to European customers can all bring a provider into scope.
Breaching one of the Act’s prohibited AI practices carries its highest fines: up to €35 million or 7% of worldwide annual turnover, whichever is higher. National market surveillance authorities enforce most of the bans, while the European Commission’s AI Office now oversees AI systems built on a provider’s own general-purpose model and those that are part of very large online platforms, and app stores and hosting providers face pressure under the Digital Services Act to remove offending services.
Part of a global shift
Europe is not alone. In England and Wales, creating a sexual deepfake of an adult without consent has been a crime since 6 February 2026. Making or supplying a nudification tool has also been a crime there since 29 June 2026. In the US, the TAKE IT DOWN Act has required platforms to remove reported intimate images within 48 hours since 19 May 2026. Canada made sexual deepfakes a Criminal Code offence in July 2026. Our AI regulation tracker follows each of these.
What to do now
- Platforms and app stores: check that your terms and moderation already forbid nudify apps and non-consensual sexual imagery, and that reporting is easy and fast.
- AI developers: review whether any image model or feature you offer can be used to undress real people, and block it.
- Creators and users: the rule is the same everywhere. Never make or share intimate imagery of a real person without their clear consent, even as a joke.
If you are targeted, report the image to the platform, keep evidence, and contact the police or a support service in your country. In many places, creating or sharing the image is now a crime in itself.
How the ban fits with other EU law
The AI Act targets the tools. Other laws target the people who misuse them and the platforms that spread the results.
The 2024 directive on combating violence against women, Directive (EU) 2024/1385, requires every member state to make it a crime to create and share manipulated intimate images of a person without consent, including deepfakes. Countries must write it into national law by 14 June 2027, and several already have similar offences.
Under the Digital Services Act, the largest online platforms must assess and reduce systemic risks on their services, including gender-based violence, and act quickly on notices of illegal content. Together, these rules mean that making, offering and spreading non-consensual sexual imagery, an attack on privacy and human dignity, is being closed off at every step.
Read our EU AI Act tracker entry for the full timeline.
Last checked: 5 November 2026. This explains the law in plain English; it is not legal advice. Spotted an error? Tell us, and see how we check facts.
