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Technology companies and child protection organizations will receive permission to evaluate whether artificial intelligence systems can produce child abuse material under new UK legislation.

Significant Increase in AI-Generated Illegal Content

The declaration came as findings from a protection watchdog showing that reports of AI-generated CSAM have more than doubled in the last twelve months, rising from 199 in 2024 to 426 in 2025.

Updated Regulatory Structure

Under the changes, the government will permit approved AI developers and child protection groups to inspect AI systems – the underlying systems for chatbots and visual AI tools – and ensure they have sufficient protective measures to stop them from producing depictions of child sexual abuse.

"Fundamentally about preventing exploitation before it happens," stated the minister for AI and online safety, adding: "Experts, under rigorous conditions, can now detect the danger in AI models early."

Addressing Regulatory Obstacles

The changes have been implemented because it is against the law to produce and own CSAM, meaning that AI creators and other parties cannot generate such images as part of a evaluation process. Previously, authorities had to wait until AI-generated CSAM was published online before dealing with it.

This legislation is designed to preventing that problem by enabling to halt the creation 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 implementing a prohibition on possessing, creating or distributing AI systems developed to create exploitative content.

Real-World Impact

This week, the minister visited the London base of a children's helpline and listened to a simulated call to advisors featuring a report of AI-based abuse. The call depicted a adolescent seeking help after being blackmailed using a sexualised deepfake of himself, constructed using AI.

"When I hear about children experiencing blackmail online, it is a cause of intense anger in me and rightful concern amongst parents," he said.

Concerning Data

A leading online safety foundation reported that instances of AI-generated abuse material – such as webpages that may contain numerous files – had more than doubled so far this year.

Cases of category A content – the most serious form of exploitation – increased from 2,621 visual files to 3,086.

• Female children were overwhelmingly victimized, making up 94% of prohibited AI images in 2025
• Depictions of newborns to two-year-olds increased from five in 2024 to 92 in 2025

Industry Response

The legislative amendment could "constitute a vital step to guarantee AI products are safe before they are launched," stated the chief executive of the online safety foundation.

"AI tools have made it so survivors can be victimised all over again with just a few clicks, giving offenders the ability to create possibly endless quantities of sophisticated, lifelike exploitative content," she added. "Content which additionally exploits survivors' suffering, and makes young people, especially female children, more vulnerable on and off line."

Support Interaction Information

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

• Employing AI to rate body size, body and looks
• AI assistants discouraging young people from talking to safe guardians about abuse
• Being bullied online with AI-generated material
• Online extortion using AI-faked images

Between April and September this year, Childline conducted 367 support sessions where AI, chatbots and associated topics were discussed, significantly more as many as in the equivalent timeframe last year.

Half of the mentions of AI in the 2025 interactions were connected with mental health and wellness, including using AI assistants for assistance and AI therapeutic apps.