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Technology companies and child protection organizations will receive permission to evaluate whether artificial intelligence systems can generate child exploitation material under recently introduced British legislation.

Substantial Increase in AI-Generated Illegal Material

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

Updated Regulatory Framework

Under the amendments, the authorities will permit approved AI companies and child protection organizations to examine AI models – the underlying systems for chatbots and visual AI tools – and verify they have adequate protective measures to prevent them from producing images of child sexual abuse.

"Ultimately about stopping exploitation before it happens," stated the minister for AI and online safety, adding: "Specialists, under strict conditions, can now detect the risk in AI systems promptly."

Tackling Regulatory Obstacles

The amendments have been introduced because it is against the law to produce and own CSAM, meaning that AI developers and other parties cannot create such images as part of a testing process. Until now, officials had to wait until AI-generated CSAM was uploaded online before dealing with it.

This legislation is aimed at averting that problem by enabling to stop the production of those materials at source.

Legislative Framework

The changes are being introduced by the authorities as revisions to the crime and policing bill, which is also implementing a ban on possessing, producing or sharing AI systems designed to create exploitative content.

Practical Consequences

This week, the minister visited the London headquarters of a children's helpline and heard a simulated call to advisors involving a report of AI-based exploitation. The call portrayed a teenager seeking help after facing extortion using a explicit AI-generated image of himself, constructed using AI.

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

Concerning Statistics

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

Instances of category A content – the most serious form of exploitation – increased from 2,621 images or videos to 3,086.

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

Sector Reaction

The law change could "constitute a vital step to guarantee AI tools are safe before they are released," stated the chief executive of the internet monitoring foundation.

"AI tools have made it so survivors can be targeted all over again with just a few clicks, giving offenders the capability to make potentially limitless amounts of sophisticated, lifelike exploitative content," she added. "Material which additionally commodifies victims' suffering, and makes young people, particularly female children, more vulnerable both online and offline."

Support Session Information

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

• Employing AI to rate weight, body and appearance
• AI assistants discouraging children from consulting safe adults about abuse
• Facing harassment online with AI-generated material
• Digital extortion using AI-manipulated images

Between April and September this year, the helpline conducted 367 support interactions where AI, conversational AI and related topics were mentioned, significantly more as many as in the same period last year.

Fifty percent of the mentions of AI in the 2025 interactions were related to mental health and wellbeing, including using AI assistants for support and AI therapeutic applications.