AI-generated child sexual abuse videos surging online, watchdog says
The Internet Watch Foundation said AI videos of abuse had 'crossed the threshold' of being near-indistinguishable from 'real imagery' and had sharply increased in prevalence online this year.
In the first six months of 2025, the UK-based internet safety watchdog verified 1,286 AI-made videos with child sexual abuse material (CSAM) that broke the law, compared with two in the same period last year.
The IWF said just over 1,000 of the videos featured category A abuse, the classification for the most severe type of material.
The organisation said the multibillion-dollar investment spree in AI was producing widely available video-generation models that were being manipulated by paedophiles.
'It is a very competitive industry. Lots of money is going into it, so unfortunately there is a lot of choice for perpetrators,' said one IWF analyst.
The videos were found as part of a 400% increase in URLs featuring AI-made child sexual abuse in the first six months of 2025. The IWF received reports of 210 such URLs, compared with 42 last year, with each webpage featuring hundreds of images, including the surge in video content.
The IWF saw one post on a dark web forum where a paedophile referred to the speed of improvements in AI, saying how they had mastered one AI tool only for 'something new and better to come along'.
IWF analysts said the images appeared to have been created by taking a freely available basic AI model and 'fine-tuning' it with CSAM in order to produce realistic videos. In some cases these models had been fine-tuned with a handful of CSAM videos, the IWF said.
The most realistic AI abuse videos seen this year were based on real-life victims, the watchdog said.
Derek Ray-Hill, the IWF's interim chief executive, said the growth in capability of AI models, their wide availability and the ability to adapt them for criminal purposes could lead to an explosion of AI-made CSAM online.
'There is an incredible risk of AI-generated CSAM leading to an absolute explosion that overwhelms the clear web,' he said, adding that a growth in such content could fuel criminal activity linked to child trafficking, child sexual abuse and modern slavery.
The use of existing victims of sexual abuse in AI-generated images meant that paedophiles were significantly expanding the volume of CSAM online without having to rely on new victims, he added.
The UK government is cracking down on AI-generated CSAM by making it illegal to possess, create or distribute AI tools designed to create abuse content. People found to have breached the new law will face up to five years in jail.
Ministers are also outlawing possession of manuals that teach potential offenders how to use AI tools to either make abusive imagery or to help them abuse children. Offenders could face a prison sentence of up to three years.
Announcing the changes in February, the home secretary, Yvette Cooper, said it was vital that 'we tackle child sexual abuse online as well as offline'.
AI-generated CSAM is illegal under the Protection of Children Act 1978, which criminalises the taking, distribution and possession of an 'indecent photograph or pseudo photograph' of a child.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
27 minutes ago
- Reuters
Clay valued at $3.1 billion in latest fundraise as AI continues to run hot
Aug 5 (Reuters) - AI startup Clay's valuation more than doubled in about three months to $3.1 billion in its latest funding round, as investors continue to pour money into artificial intelligence companies. Clay operates an AI-centered platform to automate sales and marketing operations, and counts Google and Reddit as customers. The startup raised $100 million in the round, led by Google-parent Alphabet's (GOOGL.O), opens new tab independent growth fund, CapitalG. About three months ago, the company was valued at $1.5 billion in an employee tender offer. Dealmaking activity for the first seven months of the year hit the highest since the 2021 pandemic-era peak, as investors have poured billions in AI and its applications, betting on the technology to enhance productivity and reduce costs. Last week, when most Big Tech companies reported their earnings, AI turned out to be a bigger driving factor behind demand across internet search, digital advertising and cloud. The funding will be used to accelerate its product development, the company said. Clay plans to launch tools that allow clients to scan data such as sales tickets and video calls with potential customers, co-founder Kareem Amin told Reuters in an interview. The company is also working on a "signals" offering that will provide sales representatives insights on when to message potential leads, Amin added. Existing investors who also participated in the round included Sequoia, Meritech Capital, and First Round Capital.
Daily Mail
28 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Egyptian asylum seeker dies trying to jump onto ship to Canada
A failed asylum seeker from Egypt drowned after he attempted to jump onto the ramp of a ship at Southampton docks in a bid to travel to Canada, an inquest has heard. Walid Gomaa, who was denied asylum status when he arrived in the UK in 2021, had told a friend he intended to travel across the Atlantic after living illegally in the UK for four years. The 36-year-old Egyptian national was spotted by members of the crew of the 200-metre MV Tannhauser attempting to board the vehicle-transporter ship which was due to sail to Halifax, Canada. Mr Gomaa was said to be trying to reach the ramp's finger-flaps - articulated extensions at the end of the vessel - as it was being raised ahead of sailing, the Winchester inquest was told. The operator paused the raising and saw Mr Gomaa walk away, but as they started lifting up the ramp again, the asylum seeker ran and jumped towards the ramp despite a crew member shouting at him to stop. Mr Gomaa then hit his head and fell into the sea at Empress Dock at the Queen Elizabeth II Terminal, where he drowned before a rescue boat could reach him on April 28 this year, the inquest heard. Coroner Jason Pegg said: 'Mr Gomaa attempted a second time, warnings were shouted to Mr Gomaa but he continued despite the warnings. 'Mr Gomaa jumped off the jetty towards the vessel. On this occasion Mr Gomaa was not able to grab hold of anything and fell towards the water between the jetty and the vessel itself.' The inquest heard a post-mortem examination found the cause of death was drowning, which resulted from a head injury and a fall into the water. Mr Pegg said a friend contacted police after Mr Gomaa had not been in contact and said Mr Gomaa had told him he planned to travel to Canada. The coroner said that when the friend asked how he was going to get there, Mr Gomaa replied: 'Do not worry about it.'
BreakingNews.ie
28 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
PSNI probe church incident where Burke family confronted education official
Police in Northern Ireland are carrying out inquiries into an incident where members of the Burke family accosted a DUP councillor outside a Presbyterian church. Mervyn Storey, a former MLA for North Antrim – who is now a councillor, was approached by members of the protesting evangelical Christian family outside the Hebron Free Presbyterian Church in Ballymoney. Advertisement In a video posted to one of the Burkes' social media accounts on Monday evening, Mr Storey – who is the chairman of the Education Authority in Northern Ireland – goes into the church while being asked questions by Martina Burke and her son Josiah. Ms Burke said they were in a 'state church implementing government ideology' and refer to Education Authority guidelines on how to support transgender students. They are seen standing in the atrium of the church in the 17-minute video filmed by a third Burke family member before being ejected from the building. A PSNI spokeswoman said: 'Police are aware of a video being circulated online and inquiries are being conducted in relation to the matter.' Advertisement The Burke family, from Co Mayo, have been known to confront multiple politicians in public places while videoing them. In March, three members of the family were forcibly removed from a gala dinner in Washington DC attended by Taoiseach Micheál Martin as part of St Patrick's Day celebrations. While canvassing ahead of November's general election, Fine Gael leader and then-taoiseach Simon Harris was accosted by the Burkes in Castlebar, Co Mayo. Ireland Father of teenager who was knocked down and killed... Read More They have also been involved in legal disputes in Ireland arising out of the suspension and subsequent dismissal of Enoch Burke from his job as a teacher. He is in the process of appealing against his dismissal. Advertisement The long-running dispute stems from incidents related to a request from the then-principal of the school he worked at to address a student by a new name and the pronoun 'they'. Mr Storey has been contacted for comment.
