ARTIFICIAL intelligence (AI) has put child sexual abuse “on steroids,” the Home Secretary warned yesterday as she announced new bans on computer-generated material.

Yvette Cooper said owning an AI tool, which can generate these pictures, could land offenders with a five-year prison sentence.

Users found to own AI-made “paedophile manuals” could also face up to three years in prison under measures the government has proposed as part of the Crime and Policing Bill.