🔗 Share this article

Technology companies and child protection agencies will be granted authority to evaluate whether artificial intelligence systems can generate child exploitation material under new UK laws.

Substantial Increase in AI-Generated Harmful Content

The announcement coincided with revelations from a safety watchdog showing that cases of AI-generated child sexual abuse material have more than doubled in the last twelve months, growing from 199 in 2024 to 426 in 2025.

Updated Regulatory Structure

Under the amendments, the government will allow approved AI companies and child safety organizations to inspect AI systems – the foundational systems for conversational AI and image generators – and ensure they have sufficient safeguards to prevent them from creating depictions of child sexual abuse.

"Ultimately about preventing exploitation before it happens," declared Kanishka Narayan, noting: "Specialists, under strict conditions, can now identify the risk in AI models early."

Addressing Legal Obstacles

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

This law is aimed at preventing that issue by enabling to stop the production of those images at their origin.

Legislative Framework

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

Real-World Consequences

This week, the official visited the London headquarters of a children's helpline and listened to a mock-up conversation to counsellors featuring a report of AI-based exploitation. The call depicted a adolescent requesting help after being blackmailed using a sexualised AI-generated image of himself, created using AI.

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

Concerning Statistics

A prominent online safety foundation reported that cases of AI-generated exploitation material – such as online pages that may contain numerous images – had more than doubled so far this year.

Instances of the most severe material – the gravest form of abuse – rose from 2,621 visual files to 3,086.

• Female children were overwhelmingly targeted, accounting for 94% of illegal AI images in 2025
• Portrayals of newborns to two-year-olds increased from five in 2024 to 92 in 2025

Sector Reaction

The law change could "represent a vital step to ensure AI products are secure before they are launched," stated the chief executive of the internet monitoring foundation.

"Artificial intelligence systems have made it so survivors can be victimised repeatedly with just a simple actions, providing criminals the ability to make possibly limitless amounts of advanced, photorealistic exploitative content," she added. "Material which additionally exploits survivors' suffering, and makes children, especially female children, less safe both online and offline."

Support Session Information

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

• Using AI to evaluate weight, physique and looks
• AI assistants dissuading children from talking to safe guardians about abuse
• Facing harassment online with AI-generated content
• Digital blackmail using AI-manipulated pictures

Between April and September this year, the helpline conducted 367 support sessions where AI, chatbots and related topics were discussed, four times as many as in the same period last year.

Half of the references of AI in the 2025 sessions were connected with psychological wellbeing and wellbeing, encompassing utilizing AI assistants for assistance and AI therapeutic apps.