Internet Watch Foundation finds 260-fold increase in AI-generated CSAM in just one year, and ‘it’s the tip of the iceberg’

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.