In June 2026, the Cybercrime Convention Committee (T-CY) and the Lanzarote Committee adopted a Joint Statement on AI-generated or altered child sexual exploitation or sexual abuse material, following their joint session. As the official observer of the Lanzarote Committee, INHOPE welcomes this important clarification.
The statement confirms that the criminalisation provisions in Article 9 of the Convention on Cybercrime (Budapest Convention) and Article 20 of the Lanzarote Convention already cover material consisting of simulated or realistic representations of children, including AI-generated or altered child sexual abuse and exploitation material. As these provisions are technology-neutral, they apply regardless of how the material was produced or distributed, whether it depicts the likeness of a real child or is fully synthetic and depicts no real child at all.
The two Committees note that the realism and volume of AI-generated and altered material have increased significantly since the treaties were adopted. They urge Parties who have made reservations to review the reservations that limit prosecution for AI-generated abuse material given current technological developments.
