UK Technology Firms and Child Safety Officials to Examine AI's Capability to Create Exploitation Images

Tech firms and child protection organizations will be granted permission to assess whether AI systems can produce child abuse material under recently introduced UK legislation.

Substantial Increase in AI-Generated Harmful Material

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

New Regulatory Structure

Under the changes, the government will permit designated AI companies and child protection organizations to examine AI models – the foundational systems for conversational AI and image generators – and ensure they have adequate protective measures to prevent them from creating depictions of child sexual abuse.

"Ultimately about preventing abuse before it occurs," declared the minister for AI and online safety, adding: "Specialists, under rigorous conditions, can now identify the danger in AI models early."

Addressing Regulatory Obstacles

The amendments have been introduced because it is against the law to create and own CSAM, meaning that AI developers and other parties cannot create such images as part of a testing regime. Until now, officials had to delay action until AI-generated CSAM was uploaded online before dealing with it.

This legislation is aimed at preventing that problem by enabling to stop the creation of those materials at source.

Legal Framework

The changes are being introduced by the government as modifications to the crime and policing bill, which is also establishing a ban on owning, creating or sharing AI systems designed to create exploitative content.

Real-World Impact

This recently, the minister visited the London headquarters of Childline and heard a simulated call to advisors involving a report of AI-based exploitation. The interaction portrayed a adolescent seeking help after facing extortion using a sexualised deepfake of himself, created using AI.

"When I learn about children facing extortion online, it is a cause of extreme anger in me and rightful concern amongst parents," he said.

Concerning Statistics

A leading online safety organization reported that cases of AI-generated exploitation material – 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 abuse – increased from 2,621 visual files to 3,086.

• Girls were overwhelmingly victimized, accounting for 94% of illegal AI depictions in 2025
• Portrayals of infants to two-year-olds rose from five in 2024 to 92 in 2025

Industry Reaction

The law change could "represent a crucial step to guarantee AI products are safe before they are released," commented the head of the internet monitoring foundation.

"AI tools have enabled so survivors can be targeted all over again with just a few clicks, giving criminals the ability to make potentially limitless amounts of sophisticated, photorealistic exploitative content," she added. "Content which additionally exploits victims' suffering, and makes children, particularly girls, less safe both online and offline."

Support Interaction Information

Childline also published information of counselling interactions where AI has been referenced. AI-related harms mentioned in the conversations include:

• Employing AI to evaluate weight, physique and appearance
• Chatbots dissuading young people from talking to safe adults about harm
• Facing harassment online with AI-generated material
• Online blackmail using AI-manipulated pictures

Between April and September this year, the helpline conducted 367 support interactions where AI, conversational AI and related terms were discussed, significantly more as many as in the equivalent timeframe last year.

Fifty percent of the references of AI in the 2025 interactions were related to mental health and wellbeing, encompassing utilizing chatbots for support and AI therapy apps.