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Technology companies and child safety organizations will receive permission to assess whether artificial intelligence systems can produce child abuse images under new British laws.

Substantial Rise in AI-Generated Illegal Material

The announcement came as revelations from a safety monitoring body showing that cases of AI-generated CSAM have more than doubled in the last twelve months, rising from 199 in 2024 to 426 in 2025.

Updated Regulatory Structure

Under the amendments, the authorities will allow approved AI developers and child protection groups to inspect AI systems – the foundational technology for chatbots and image generators – and verify they have sufficient protective measures to stop them from producing images of child exploitation.

"Fundamentally about preventing exploitation before it occurs," declared the minister for AI and online safety, adding: "Experts, under strict protocols, can now identify the danger in AI models early."

Tackling Regulatory Challenges

The changes have been introduced because it is against the law to produce and possess CSAM, meaning that AI creators and others cannot create such images as part of a evaluation process. Until now, authorities had to delay action until AI-generated CSAM was uploaded online before addressing it.

This legislation is designed to averting that issue by enabling to stop the creation of those materials at their origin.

Legal Structure

The changes are being introduced by the authorities as revisions to the criminal justice legislation, which is also establishing a prohibition on possessing, creating or sharing AI models designed to create exploitative content.

Practical Consequences

This week, the minister visited the London base of Childline and heard a mock-up call to counsellors featuring a account of AI-based exploitation. The call portrayed a adolescent requesting help after being blackmailed using a explicit deepfake of himself, created using AI.

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

Concerning Statistics

A leading internet monitoring foundation stated that cases of AI-generated abuse content – such as online pages that may contain numerous files – had significantly increased so far this year.

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

• Female children were predominantly victimized, accounting for 94% of illegal AI images in 2025
• Depictions of newborns to toddlers rose from five in 2024 to 92 in 2025

Sector Reaction

The law change could "represent a vital step to ensure AI products are secure before they are launched," commented the head of the internet monitoring organization.

"Artificial intelligence systems have made it so survivors can be victimised repeatedly with just a few clicks, providing offenders the ability to make potentially limitless amounts of advanced, lifelike exploitative content," she continued. "Material which further exploits survivors' trauma, and renders young people, especially girls, less safe both online and offline."

Support Session Information

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

• Using AI to evaluate body size, body and appearance
• Chatbots discouraging young people from talking to trusted adults about harm
• Being bullied online with AI-generated content
• Online blackmail using AI-manipulated images

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

Half of the mentions of AI in the 2025 sessions were connected with psychological wellbeing and wellness, including utilizing chatbots for support and AI therapy apps.