🔗 Share this article

Tech firms and child safety agencies will be granted permission to assess whether artificial intelligence systems can produce child exploitation material under recently introduced UK laws.

Significant Rise in AI-Generated Illegal Content

The announcement came as findings from a protection watchdog showing that cases of AI-generated CSAM have more than doubled in the past year, rising from 199 in 2024 to 426 in 2025.

New Regulatory Framework

Under the changes, the government will allow approved AI developers and child protection groups to inspect AI systems – the foundational technology for conversational AI and visual AI tools – and verify they have adequate protective measures to prevent them from creating depictions of child sexual abuse.

"Fundamentally about preventing exploitation before it happens," stated Kanishka Narayan, noting: "Specialists, under rigorous conditions, can now detect the danger in AI systems early."

Tackling Regulatory Obstacles

The changes have been implemented because it is against the law to produce and own CSAM, meaning that AI creators and other parties cannot create such images as part of a evaluation regime. Previously, officials had to wait until AI-generated CSAM was published online before addressing it.

This legislation is designed to averting that issue by enabling to stop the creation of those materials at their origin.

Legislative Framework

The amendments are being introduced by the authorities as modifications to the crime and policing bill, which is also establishing a prohibition on possessing, creating or sharing AI systems designed to create child sexual abuse material.

Practical Impact

This recently, the minister toured the London base of a children's helpline and heard a mock-up call to advisors featuring a report of AI-based abuse. The interaction portrayed a teenager seeking help after facing extortion using a sexualised AI-generated image of themselves, constructed using AI.

"When I learn about young people experiencing extortion online, it is a source of intense frustration in me and rightful anger amongst families," he stated.

Alarming Data

A leading internet monitoring organization stated that instances of AI-generated exploitation content – such as online pages that may contain numerous files – had more than doubled so far this year.

Cases of the most severe content – the gravest form of exploitation – rose from 2,621 visual files to 3,086.

• Girls were overwhelmingly targeted, making up 94% of illegal AI depictions in 2025
• Depictions of newborns to two-year-olds increased from five in 2024 to 92 in 2025

Sector Response

The legislative amendment could "constitute a crucial step to ensure AI products are secure before they are launched," commented the head of the online safety foundation.

"AI tools have made it so victims can be victimised all over again with just a few clicks, providing criminals the ability to create possibly limitless quantities of advanced, photorealistic child sexual abuse material," she continued. "Content which additionally commodifies victims' trauma, and makes young people, particularly female children, more vulnerable both online and offline."

Counseling Interaction Data

The children's helpline also released details of support sessions where AI has been referenced. AI-related risks mentioned in the conversations include:

• Using AI to evaluate body size, body and looks
• Chatbots discouraging young people from talking to trusted adults about harm
• Facing harassment online with AI-generated material
• Digital blackmail using AI-manipulated images

Between April and September this year, the helpline delivered 367 counselling sessions where AI, chatbots and related topics were mentioned, significantly more as many as in the equivalent timeframe last year.

Half of the references of AI in the 2025 sessions were related to mental health and wellbeing, including using chatbots for support and AI therapeutic applications.