🔗 Share this article British Tech Companies and Child Safety Officials to Test AI's Capability to Create Exploitation Content Tech firms and child safety organizations will receive permission to evaluate whether AI systems can produce child exploitation material under recently introduced UK laws. Significant Increase in AI-Generated Illegal Material The declaration coincided with revelations from a safety watchdog showing that cases of AI-generated child sexual abuse material have more than doubled in the last twelve months, rising from 199 in 2024 to 426 in 2025. New Legal Framework Under the changes, the government will allow designated AI developers and child protection groups to examine AI systems – the foundational technology for conversational AI and image generators – and verify they have sufficient safeguards to stop them from creating depictions of child sexual abuse. "Fundamentally about stopping exploitation before it occurs," stated Kanishka Narayan, noting: "Experts, under rigorous conditions, can now identify the risk in AI systems early." Addressing Legal Challenges The amendments have been implemented because it is against the law to create and possess CSAM, meaning that AI developers and other parties cannot create such content as part of a testing regime. Previously, authorities had to delay action until AI-generated CSAM was published online before dealing with it. This legislation is designed to preventing that problem by helping to halt the production of those materials at their origin. Legislative Framework The amendments are being introduced by the government as modifications to the criminal justice legislation, which is also implementing a ban on owning, producing or distributing AI systems developed to create child sexual abuse material. Real-World Consequences This week, the official toured the London headquarters of Childline and listened to a simulated conversation to counsellors involving a report of AI-based exploitation. The interaction portrayed a teenager requesting help after facing extortion using a sexualised deepfake of themselves, constructed using AI. "When I hear about children facing extortion online, it is a cause of extreme anger in me and justified concern amongst parents," he stated. Alarming Statistics A leading online safety organization reported that instances of AI-generated exploitation content – such as online pages 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 visual files to 3,086. Girls were predominantly victimized, making up 94% of illegal AI images in 2025 Depictions of newborns to toddlers increased from five in 2024 to 92 in 2025 Sector Reaction The legislative amendment could "constitute a vital step to guarantee AI tools are safe before they are launched," commented 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, providing criminals the capability to make potentially limitless quantities of advanced, photorealistic exploitative content," she added. "Material which further exploits victims' suffering, and makes young people, particularly female children, less safe both online and offline." Counseling Session Data Childline also released information of counselling sessions where AI has been mentioned. AI-related risks discussed in the sessions comprise: Using AI to evaluate body size, body and looks AI assistants discouraging children from talking to safe guardians about abuse Being bullied online with AI-generated content Digital extortion using AI-manipulated images During April and September this year, Childline delivered 367 support sessions where AI, chatbots and related terms were discussed, four times as many as in the same period last year. Fifty percent of the mentions of AI in the 2025 interactions were related to psychological wellbeing and wellness, encompassing using AI assistants for support and AI therapeutic apps.