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

Significant Rise in AI-Generated Illegal Material

The announcement coincided with revelations from a protection monitoring body showing that cases of AI-generated CSAM have more than doubled in the past year, growing from 199 in 2024 to 426 in 2025.

New Regulatory Structure

Under the amendments, the authorities will permit approved AI developers and child protection groups to examine AI systems – the underlying technology for chatbots and image generators – and ensure they have sufficient protective measures to prevent them from creating depictions of child sexual abuse.

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

Addressing Legal Obstacles

The amendments have been implemented because it is against the law to create and possess CSAM, meaning that AI developers and other parties cannot generate such content as part of a testing regime. Previously, authorities had to delay action until AI-generated CSAM was uploaded online before dealing with it.

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

Legal Structure

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

Real-World Consequences

This week, the minister toured the London headquarters of a children's helpline and listened to a simulated conversation to counsellors featuring a account of AI-based abuse. The interaction depicted a adolescent requesting help after facing extortion using a sexualised AI-generated image of himself, constructed using AI.

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

Concerning Statistics

A prominent internet monitoring organization reported that instances of AI-generated abuse content – such as webpages that may include multiple files – had significantly increased so far this year.

Instances of the most severe material – the gravest form of exploitation – increased from 2,621 images or videos to 3,086.

• Female children were predominantly targeted, accounting for 94% of illegal AI depictions in 2025
• Depictions of infants to two-year-olds rose from five in 2024 to 92 in 2025

Industry Response

The law change could "constitute a crucial step to guarantee AI products are safe before they are launched," stated the chief executive of the internet monitoring foundation.

"AI tools have enabled so survivors can be victimised all over again with just a few clicks, giving criminals the ability to create possibly endless quantities of sophisticated, photorealistic child sexual abuse material," she continued. "Material which further exploits survivors' trauma, and renders young people, particularly female children, more vulnerable on and off line."

Counseling Interaction Data

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

• Using AI to evaluate body size, body and looks
• Chatbots discouraging young people from consulting safe adults about abuse
• Being bullied online with AI-generated material
• Digital blackmail using AI-faked images

During April and September this year, the helpline delivered 367 support sessions where AI, conversational AI 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 interactions were related to mental health and wellness, including utilizing AI assistants for support and AI therapy apps.