🔗 Share this article British Tech Firms and Child Safety Officials to Test AI's Ability to Create Exploitation Content Technology companies and child protection agencies will receive authority to evaluate whether artificial intelligence systems can generate child exploitation material under recently introduced British legislation. Substantial Increase in AI-Generated Illegal Content The announcement coincided with revelations from a safety watchdog showing that reports of AI-generated child sexual abuse material have more than doubled in the past year, rising from 199 in 2024 to 426 in 2025. Updated Regulatory Framework Under the changes, the authorities will allow designated AI developers and child safety organizations to examine AI systems – the underlying systems for conversational AI and image generators – and verify they have adequate safeguards to prevent them from producing depictions of child exploitation. "Ultimately about stopping abuse before it occurs," declared Kanishka Narayan, noting: "Experts, under strict conditions, can now detect the danger in AI systems early." Tackling Legal Challenges The changes have been implemented because it is illegal to create and possess CSAM, meaning that AI creators and others cannot generate such content as part of a evaluation regime. Until now, officials had to wait until AI-generated CSAM was published online before dealing with it. This legislation is aimed at averting that problem by helping to stop the production of those materials at source. Legislative Structure The amendments are being introduced by the government as revisions to the crime and policing bill, which is also establishing a ban on possessing, producing or sharing AI models designed to create exploitative content. Practical Impact This week, the official visited the London headquarters of a children's helpline and heard a mock-up conversation to advisors featuring a account of AI-based exploitation. The call depicted a adolescent seeking help after being blackmailed using a sexualised deepfake of himself, created using AI. "When I learn about young people experiencing blackmail online, it is a cause of extreme frustration in me and rightful concern amongst families," he said. Alarming Data A prominent internet monitoring organization stated that instances of AI-generated exploitation content – such as online pages that may include multiple files – had significantly increased so far this year. Cases of the most severe material – the most serious form of abuse – increased from 2,621 images or videos to 3,086. Girls were predominantly victimized, making up 94% of prohibited AI images in 2025 Depictions of infants to toddlers rose from five in 2024 to 92 in 2025 Industry Response The legislative amendment could "constitute a crucial step to guarantee AI tools are safe before they are launched," commented the chief executive of the internet monitoring foundation. "Artificial intelligence systems have made it so victims can be targeted all over again with just a few clicks, giving offenders the capability to make possibly endless quantities of advanced, photorealistic child sexual abuse material," she continued. "Material which additionally exploits victims' suffering, and renders children, particularly girls, less safe both online and offline." Counseling Interaction Information The children's helpline also published details of support sessions where AI has been mentioned. AI-related harms mentioned in the sessions comprise: Using AI to evaluate weight, body and looks AI assistants discouraging children from talking to safe adults about harm Being bullied online with AI-generated material Online blackmail using AI-faked images During April and September this year, Childline conducted 367 support interactions where AI, conversational AI and associated terms were discussed, significantly more as many as in the same period last year. Half of the references of AI in the 2025 sessions were connected with mental health and wellbeing, encompassing using AI assistants for support and AI therapeutic apps.