Artificial intelligence tools are driving the creation of online child sexual abuse material, according to a new study documenting the rise in photorealistic AI material, including content known as CSAM.
Analysts at the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), a UK-based group, detected a record 3,440 AI videos of child sexual abuse last year, an increase of 26,362% from just 13 the year before. More than half of the AI videos they tracked meet the description of what the IWF calls “Category A,” a classification known to include the most graphic images and torture.
The IWF warns that AI technology could have a negative impact on children and that their likenesses could be used by bad actors. Internet watchdog groups say rapidly evolving tools could allow people with minimal technical knowledge to create harmful videos at scale.
“Analysts believe that as the sophistication of AI video tools increases, criminals will increasingly utilize this technology,” the report states.
The AI video is part of a large pool of child sexual abuse material identified and removed by the IWF last year. The organization said it responded to more than 300,000 reports involving CSAM in 2025.
Although U.S. federal law prohibits the production and distribution of CSAM, the Department of Justice says it is a broader expression of child pornography.
This report was published in the following circumstances: backlash against Grok is an AI chatbot developed by Elon Musk’s company xAI that allows users to: Generate sexually explicit images of women and minors. Copyleaks, a plagiarism and AI content detection tool, estimated in a December analysis that chatbots were creating “approximately one non-consensual sexual image per minute.”
The chatbot’s actions prompted action from multiple parties, including the European Union, which said it was monitoring steps taken by X to prevent Grok from creating inappropriate image content. On Wednesday, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the opening of an investigation into xAI and Grok.
In response to the criticism, xAI announced in a safety update posted on X on Thursday that it was taking steps to prevent users from using Grok to create photos of minimally dressed people.
