UK Children Using AI to Create Indecent Images

The UK Safer Internet Centre calls for urgent action as students' understanding of AI surpasses that of their teachers.

Children in the UK are using AI image generators to create indecent images of other children, according to reports from schools received by the UK Safer Internet Centre (UKSIC).
Such images, whether created out of curiosity or with harmful intent, are considered child sexual abuse material under UK law and can circulate online, potentially being used for blackmail.
Research suggests that about a third of students are using AI to access inappropriate content online, and that students' understanding of AI is often more advanced than their teachers', creating a knowledge gap.
UKSIC is calling for urgent action, including a collaborative approach involving parents, schools, and governments, to prevent the problem from escalating.
AI-generated images of child sexual abuse are so realistic that they can be indistinguishable from real imagery, even to trained analysts, according to the Internet Watch Foundation.