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Technology companies and child protection agencies will receive permission to assess whether AI tools can generate child abuse material under recently introduced UK laws.

Significant Rise in AI-Generated Illegal Material

The declaration came as findings from a safety watchdog showing that cases of AI-generated CSAM have increased dramatically in the last twelve months, growing from 199 in 2024 to 426 in 2025.

Updated Regulatory Framework

Under the amendments, the government will allow approved AI developers and child protection groups to inspect AI models – the foundational technology for chatbots and image generators – and ensure they have adequate safeguards to prevent them from creating images of child exploitation.

"Fundamentally about preventing abuse before it occurs," stated Kanishka Narayan, noting: "Experts, under rigorous conditions, can now identify the danger in AI systems early."

Tackling Regulatory 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 images as part of a testing regime. Until now, officials had to wait until AI-generated CSAM was uploaded online before dealing with it.

This legislation is designed to averting that problem by helping to halt the production of those materials at their origin.

Legislative Structure

The amendments are being added by the government as revisions to the crime and policing bill, which is also implementing a prohibition on possessing, producing or sharing AI models developed to create child sexual abuse material.

Real-World Consequences

This recently, the minister toured the London headquarters of a children's helpline and listened to a mock-up conversation to advisors involving a report of AI-based exploitation. The interaction portrayed a adolescent seeking help after facing extortion using a sexualised AI-generated image of themselves, created using AI.

"When I hear about children facing blackmail online, it is a source of extreme anger in me and justified concern amongst parents," he said.

Concerning Data

A prominent online safety foundation reported that instances of AI-generated exploitation content – such as webpages that may include multiple files – had more than doubled so far this year.

Cases of category A material – the gravest form of exploitation – rose from 2,621 images or videos to 3,086.

• Female children were predominantly victimized, making up 94% of illegal AI images in 2025
• Portrayals of infants to two-year-olds rose from five in 2024 to 92 in 2025

Sector Response

The legislative amendment could "constitute a vital step to ensure AI products are secure before they are released," stated the head of the online safety organization.

"Artificial intelligence systems have made it so survivors can be targeted all over again with just a simple actions, providing criminals the ability to create potentially endless amounts of sophisticated, photorealistic child sexual abuse material," she added. "Material which further exploits survivors' trauma, and renders children, especially female children, less safe on and off line."

Support Session Data

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

• Employing AI to evaluate weight, body and appearance
• AI assistants discouraging children from consulting safe adults about harm
• Facing harassment online with AI-generated material
• Online blackmail using AI-faked images

During April and September this year, the helpline delivered 367 counselling interactions where AI, conversational AI and related terms were discussed, four times as many as in the equivalent timeframe last year.

Fifty percent of the references of AI in the 2025 interactions were connected with psychological wellbeing and wellbeing, including using chatbots for assistance and AI therapy applications.