The cabinet in Spain under Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has approved a bill aimed at controlling deepfakes and stricter consent regulations on photos, as European nations take action to enforce tougher measures on sexual content created through AI.

The bill approved by the cabinet strengthens protections for children, sets 16 as the minimum age to give consent for the use of a person’s photo and restricts the reuse of photos posted on the Internet and voices or depictions created with AI without permission.

The European Union is extending efforts to control deepfakes by implementing new rules requiring member states to criminalize non-consensual sexual deepfakes by 2027.

“The fact that people share personal or family photos on social media does not give absolute freedom to use those photos in other content,” Justice Minister Felix Bolanos pointed out.

The bill also attempts to address AI directly, deeming it illegal to use a person’s image or voice created without consent through AI for advertising or commercial purposes without consent.

Bolanos said that creative, satirical or fictional uses involving public figures will be allowed, as long as such content is clearly stated to have been developed with AI.

The bill follows scrutiny of AI tools, including Elon Musk’s AI Grok chatbox, which is at the centre of an investigation into deepfake images of obscene sexual content.

Earlier this month, the government asked prosecutors to assess whether certain AI-developed content could constitute child pornography, a request the attorney general’s office is considering, he told Reuters.

The bill will be subject to consultation before it reaches the government for final approval and is tabled for a vote in parliament.