The numbers are staggering, but experts say what we’re seeing is only the beginning. As AI-generated child sexual abuse material, or CSAM, surges to record levels, researchers warn that the technology isn’t just producing more harmful content, but it’s fundamentally changing how children are targeted; how survivors are revictimized; and how investigators are overwhelmed.
Investigators already had their hands full with scrubbing CSAM from the internet. But with generative AI, that challenge has been exacerbated. The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), Europe’s largest hotline for combating online child sexual abuse imagery, documented a 260-fold increase in AI-generated child sexual abuse videos in 2025. It went from just 13 videos the year prior to 3,443. Researchers who have spent years tracking this issue say the explosion is not a surprise. It is, however, a warning.
