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Tech firms and child safety organizations will be granted authority to assess whether artificial intelligence systems can generate child exploitation images under new British laws.

Significant Increase in AI-Generated Illegal Material

The declaration coincided with revelations from a safety watchdog showing that cases of AI-generated CSAM have increased dramatically in the past year, rising from 199 in 2024 to 426 in 2025.

New Regulatory Framework

Under the amendments, the government will allow designated AI companies and child safety organizations to examine AI models – the underlying technology for conversational AI and visual AI tools – and verify they have adequate safeguards to prevent them from producing images of child sexual abuse.

"Fundamentally about preventing exploitation before it happens," stated the minister for AI and online safety, noting: "Experts, under strict conditions, can now identify the risk in AI systems promptly."

Addressing Regulatory Challenges

The changes have been implemented because it is against the law to create and own CSAM, meaning that AI developers and others cannot create such content as part of a evaluation regime. Until now, officials had to delay action until AI-generated CSAM was uploaded online before dealing with it.

This legislation is aimed at averting that problem by enabling to halt the creation of those materials at their origin.

Legislative Structure

The changes are being added by the authorities as modifications to the crime and policing bill, which is also implementing a prohibition on owning, creating or sharing AI models designed to generate exploitative content.

Practical Impact

This week, the official toured the London headquarters of Childline and heard a simulated conversation to counsellors featuring a report of AI-based abuse. The call depicted a adolescent requesting help after facing extortion using a sexualised deepfake of themselves, constructed using AI.

"When I learn about children facing blackmail online, it is a source of intense frustration in me and rightful concern amongst parents," he stated.

Alarming Statistics

A prominent online safety foundation stated that instances of AI-generated abuse content – such as webpages that may contain multiple images – had significantly increased so far this year.

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

• Girls were predominantly victimized, accounting for 94% of prohibited AI images in 2025
• Portrayals of newborns to toddlers increased from five in 2024 to 92 in 2025

Sector Response

The legislative amendment could "represent a crucial step to guarantee AI tools are secure before they are released," stated the head of the online safety organization.

"AI tools have made it so survivors can be targeted all over again with just a simple actions, giving offenders the ability to make potentially limitless quantities of advanced, lifelike child sexual abuse material," she continued. "Material which further commodifies survivors' suffering, and renders children, particularly girls, more vulnerable both online and offline."

Counseling Session Information

Childline also published information of support interactions where AI has been mentioned. AI-related risks discussed in the conversations include:

• Using AI to evaluate weight, body and looks
• Chatbots dissuading children from consulting trusted adults about harm
• Facing harassment online with AI-generated content
• Online blackmail using AI-faked images

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

Half of the references of AI in the 2025 sessions were connected with mental health and wellbeing, encompassing utilizing AI assistants for support and AI therapy apps.