🔗 Share this article British Technology Companies and Child Safety Officials to Test AI's Capability to Generate Exploitation Images Tech firms and child safety organizations will be granted permission to assess whether artificial intelligence systems can generate child abuse images under new British laws. Significant Increase in AI-Generated Illegal Content The declaration came as revelations from a safety monitoring body showing that cases of AI-generated child sexual abuse material have more than doubled in the past year, rising from 199 in 2024 to 426 in 2025. New Legal Structure Under the changes, the authorities will permit approved AI developers and child safety groups to examine AI models – the foundational systems for chatbots and image generators – and ensure they have adequate safeguards to stop them from producing images of child exploitation. "Ultimately about preventing abuse before it occurs," declared the minister for AI and online safety, adding: "Experts, under strict protocols, can now detect the danger in AI models early." Addressing Legal Obstacles The changes have been introduced because it is illegal to produce and possess CSAM, meaning that AI developers and other parties cannot generate such images as part of a evaluation regime. Until now, authorities had to delay action until AI-generated CSAM was uploaded online before addressing it. This law is aimed at preventing that issue by helping to halt the production of those images at source. Legal Framework The changes are being added by the authorities as revisions to the criminal justice legislation, which is also implementing a ban on possessing, producing or distributing AI models designed to create exploitative content. Real-World Impact This week, the minister visited the London headquarters of a children's helpline and heard a simulated conversation to counsellors involving a account of AI-based abuse. The interaction portrayed a teenager requesting help after facing extortion using a explicit deepfake of himself, constructed using AI. "When I learn about children facing extortion online, it is a source of extreme anger in me and justified concern amongst families," he said. Alarming Data A leading internet monitoring foundation stated that instances of AI-generated abuse content – such as online pages that may contain multiple images – had more than doubled so far this year. Cases of category A content – the gravest form of abuse – increased from 2,621 images or videos to 3,086. Girls were overwhelmingly targeted, accounting for 94% of illegal AI depictions in 2025 Depictions of infants to toddlers increased from five in 2024 to 92 in 2025 Sector Response The law change could "constitute a vital step to ensure AI products are secure before they are released," stated the head of the online safety foundation. "AI tools have made it so victims can be targeted repeatedly with just a few clicks, giving criminals the ability to make possibly endless amounts of sophisticated, lifelike child sexual abuse material," she continued. "Material which further commodifies survivors' trauma, and renders children, particularly female children, more vulnerable both online and offline." Support Interaction Information Childline also published details of support interactions where AI has been referenced. AI-related harms discussed in the sessions comprise: Employing AI to rate body size, body and appearance Chatbots discouraging children from consulting safe adults about harm Being bullied online with AI-generated content Digital blackmail using AI-manipulated images Between April and September this year, the helpline conducted 367 support interactions where AI, conversational AI and associated topics 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 related to mental health and wellbeing, encompassing using chatbots for assistance and AI therapeutic applications.