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Technology companies and child safety organizations will receive permission to evaluate whether AI tools can produce child abuse images under recently introduced UK laws.

Significant Increase in AI-Generated Harmful Content

The declaration coincided with revelations from a protection watchdog showing that reports 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 Regulatory Structure

Under the amendments, the authorities will permit designated AI developers and child protection groups to inspect AI models – the underlying systems for chatbots and visual AI tools – and ensure they have adequate protective measures to prevent them from creating images of child exploitation.

"Fundamentally about preventing exploitation before it happens," declared the minister for AI and online safety, adding: "Experts, under rigorous protocols, can now detect the danger in AI systems early."

Tackling Regulatory Challenges

The changes have been implemented because it is illegal to produce and own CSAM, meaning that AI developers and others cannot generate such images as part of a evaluation process. Until now, officials had to delay action until AI-generated CSAM was published online before addressing it.

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

Legislative Structure

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

Real-World Impact

This recently, the official toured the London headquarters of a children's helpline and listened to a mock-up conversation to counsellors featuring a account of AI-based exploitation. The interaction depicted a adolescent requesting help after being blackmailed using a sexualised AI-generated image of himself, constructed using AI.

"When I learn about young people facing blackmail online, it is a source of extreme anger in me and justified anger amongst families," he said.

Concerning Data

A leading online safety foundation stated that cases of AI-generated exploitation content – such as online pages that may include multiple images – had more than doubled so far this year.

Instances of the most severe content – the most serious form of exploitation – rose from 2,621 visual files to 3,086.

• Girls were overwhelmingly victimized, making up 94% of prohibited AI depictions in 2025
• Depictions of newborns to two-year-olds increased from five in 2024 to 92 in 2025

Sector Reaction

The law change could "represent a vital step to guarantee AI tools are secure before they are launched," stated the chief executive of the online safety organization.

"AI tools have made it so victims can be targeted all over again with just a simple actions, providing offenders the capability to create possibly endless quantities of sophisticated, lifelike exploitative content," she added. "Material which additionally commodifies victims' suffering, and renders children, particularly girls, less safe on and off line."

Counseling Interaction Information

Childline also released information of counselling interactions where AI has been referenced. AI-related harms discussed in the conversations include:

• Using AI to rate weight, body and appearance
• AI assistants dissuading children from consulting safe adults about harm
• Being bullied online with AI-generated material
• Online blackmail using AI-faked images

Between April and September this year, the helpline delivered 367 counselling interactions where AI, conversational AI and associated terms were discussed, four times as many as in the same period last year.

Half of the mentions of AI in the 2025 sessions were related to mental health and wellness, including utilizing chatbots for assistance and AI therapeutic apps.