🔗 Share this article

Tech firms and child protection agencies will receive authority to evaluate whether artificial intelligence tools can generate child exploitation material under new UK laws.

Substantial Rise in AI-Generated Illegal Material

The announcement coincided with revelations from a protection monitoring body showing that reports of AI-generated CSAM have increased dramatically in the last twelve months, growing from 199 in 2024 to 426 in 2025.

New Regulatory Structure

Under the amendments, the authorities will allow approved AI companies and child protection organizations to inspect AI systems – the underlying technology for conversational AI and visual AI tools – and ensure they have sufficient protective measures to prevent them from producing images of child exploitation.

"Fundamentally about stopping exploitation before it happens," stated the minister for AI and online safety, noting: "Specialists, under rigorous protocols, can now identify the danger in AI systems early."

Tackling Legal Challenges

The changes have been introduced because it is illegal to produce and possess CSAM, meaning that AI creators and other parties cannot create such content as part of a evaluation regime. Until now, officials had to delay action until AI-generated CSAM was uploaded online before dealing with it.

This law is aimed at averting that problem by enabling to stop the production of those materials at their origin.

Legal Structure

The amendments are being introduced by the authorities as modifications to the crime and policing bill, which is also establishing a ban on possessing, producing or sharing AI systems designed to generate exploitative content.

Practical Consequences

This week, the official visited the London base of Childline and heard a simulated call to advisors involving a report of AI-based exploitation. The call depicted a adolescent requesting help after facing extortion using a explicit deepfake of themselves, constructed using AI.

"When I hear about children experiencing extortion online, it is a cause of intense frustration in me and justified anger amongst parents," he stated.

Concerning Statistics

A leading online safety foundation stated that instances of AI-generated abuse material – such as online pages that may include numerous images – had more than doubled so far this year.

Cases of the most severe content – the gravest form of abuse – rose from 2,621 images or videos to 3,086.

• Girls were predominantly victimized, making up 94% of prohibited AI depictions in 2025
• Depictions of infants to two-year-olds rose from five in 2024 to 92 in 2025

Sector Reaction

The law change could "constitute a vital step to guarantee AI tools are secure before they are released," stated the chief executive of the internet monitoring foundation.

"AI tools have made it so survivors can be victimised repeatedly with just a simple actions, providing criminals the capability to make potentially endless amounts of advanced, lifelike exploitative content," she added. "Material which additionally exploits victims' trauma, and makes young people, especially female children, less safe both online and offline."

Counseling Session Data

The children's helpline also published information of support interactions where AI has been mentioned. AI-related harms discussed in the sessions include:

• Employing AI to evaluate body size, physique and looks
• Chatbots discouraging young people from consulting safe adults about harm
• Facing harassment online with AI-generated material
• Digital extortion using AI-manipulated pictures

Between April and September this year, the helpline delivered 367 support sessions where AI, chatbots and related terms were discussed, significantly more as many as in the same period last year.

Half of the mentions of AI in the 2025 sessions were related to psychological wellbeing and wellbeing, including utilizing chatbots for support and AI therapy applications.