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Online services use several layers to detect AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM): matching files against known digital fingerprints, using AI systems to flag unfamiliar material for review, and having trained specialists assess potential cases. Detection does not itself remove content or establish a legal finding; removal, reporting and referral are separate steps that depend on the service and jurisdiction.
How detection works
There is no single universal detector or removal button. A service may combine automated checks with human assessment, then take separate action to remove material, prevent its re-upload or refer a report.
| Stage | What it does | What it cannot establish by itself |
|---|---|---|
| Known-file hash matching | Compares files with digital fingerprints associated with material already assessed as CSAM. A match can help services recognize the same or closely similar known content. | It cannot identify a new synthetic file that has no matching entry in the relevant hash database. |
| AI flagging | Flags unfamiliar material that resembles patterns associated with confirmed CSAM, helping prioritize content for further assessment. Google describes its own approach as using both hash matching and AI. | A flag is not a final determination. AI systems can produce false positives and do not independently prove that an offense occurred. |
| Human assessment | Trained specialists assess flagged material or reports against the applicable service or hotline criteria. Google says trained reviewers assess imagery flagged by its AI before it is reported; the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) assesses reports against its classification threshold. | Assessment by one service or hotline does not make its process a universal legal ruling or guarantee that every other service will take the same action. |
| Removal and follow-up | Depending on the case, a service or hotline may pursue removal, notify a host or platform, add a URL to an alert or blocking list, create a hash for future recognition, or refer the matter. | Removal from one location does not establish that all copies have been found or removed. |
Hash matching is most useful for known files and can help prevent re-uploads. AI flagging can help identify unfamiliar material, but it is a way to prioritize review, not a substitute for it. Google’s description is an account of its own process, not an independent audit or a head-to-head measure of detector accuracy.
What happens after a potential match or report
- A system or person raises a concern. A service may detect a known hash, flag unfamiliar material with a classifier, or receive a user or trusted-organization report.
- Specialists assess the case. The service or hotline applies its own review criteria. A potential match or AI flag should not be treated as confirmation before that assessment.
- The responsible service or hotline takes appropriate action. Depending on the location and process, this can include seeking removal, contacting a host, adding a URL to a list used for blocking or alerts, or generating a hash so participating services can recognize the file.
- Reports may be referred to another body. Reporting and referral duties vary by jurisdiction. Google says it reports identified CSAM to the U.S. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) as required by U.S. law. NCMEC can make reports available to appropriate law enforcement. UK government guidance describes platforms reviewing potential detections and reporting through NCMEC, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police or other applicable mechanisms.
The IWF uses “actioned” for a report it has assessed as containing CSAM and for which active removal steps were taken. That term describes the IWF’s process; it should not be read as a guarantee that every copy has disappeared from the internet.
#1 Best Overall
What the published figures do—and do not—show
NCMEC’s CyberTipline totals, IWF actioned reports and counts of assessed images or videos measure different things. They should not be added together or presented as a single estimate of how much AI-generated CSAM exists.
- NCMEC CyberTipline reports involving generative AI: 4,700 in 2023 and 67,000 in 2024, according to NCMEC. For 2025, NCMEC reported more than 400,000 CyberTipline reports with an AI nexus. NCMEC says those reports span five categories and that more than 200,000 did not contain enough information to establish how AI was used. The 2025 total therefore is not a count of reports of generated CSAM.
- NCMEC’s image and video counts: NCMEC staff categorized more than 158,000 submitted images and videos as AI-generated between January 2023 and December 2025. Providers annotated just over 11,000 images and videos as AI-generated over the same period. These are different actors’ labeling counts, not directly comparable estimates of prevalence.
- IWF’s 2024 actioned reports: The IWF reported 245 actionable reports containing AI-generated child sexual abuse imagery in 2024, compared with 51 in 2023. The 245 reports covered 7,644 images and a small number of videos; a report can contain many files, so these figures are not interchangeable.
- IWF’s 2025 assessment: Its 2026 report records 8,029 AI-generated images and videos assessed as showing realistic child sexual abuse in 2025, including 3,443 AI-generated videos. These are IWF assessment counts, not a count of reports or a global prevalence estimate.
How to report suspected material or seek removal
If you encounter suspected CSAM, do not download, forward or repost it. Use the reporting tools of the service where you found it and the relevant specialist service for your location. You do not need to determine whether material is AI-generated before reporting it.
United States
- Report suspected exploitation to NCMEC’s CyberTipline, which accepts reports from the public as well as electronic service providers.
- If an explicit image of a minor is circulating, NCMEC’s Take It Down service lets a person anonymously request removal from participating platforms. Check the service’s current scope and instructions, especially where synthetic material is involved.
- Use the platform’s own reporting process as well. NCMEC says it makes reports available to appropriate law enforcement after handling; the next steps depend on the case and applicable law.
United Kingdom
- The IWF hotline accepts public reports and pursues removal of confirmed criminal material.
- For people under 18 seeking removal of sexual content of themselves, the IWF’s 2026 report describes Report Remove as a confidential reporting service. Check the live service’s eligibility and scope before using it.
These routes are not interchangeable, and service eligibility can be limited. If you are unsure which route applies, report through the platform where the material appears and consult the current guidance of the relevant hotline or service.
What platform operators should understand
For a service hosting user content, detection is only one part of a response system. UK government guidance describes monitoring hosted content with hash lists, acting on trusted-flagger reports, reviewing potential detections and reporting through applicable channels. Operators need to account for the limits of each detection method and have a process for human review, removal and escalation.
Google describes its Child Safety Toolkit as providing partners access to processing and detection technology, and its CSAI Match technology as addressing known video CSAM. Partner access terms and availability should be confirmed directly with Google. These descriptions do not establish comparative accuracy or prove that one platform’s tools are more effective than another’s.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why AI-generated material still matters
Synthetic material can harm children depicted in manipulated imagery and can make it harder to identify real victims. NCMEC’s position is that “GAI CSAM is CSAM.” The fact that an image is generated or altered does not make it harmless, and it should not be redistributed.
Rank #4
Legal treatment depends on jurisdiction. The IWF’s UK-specific explanation says realistic-looking AI-generated images are treated as real imagery under UK law, while non-photographic imagery is treated as prohibited imagery; it says both are criminal under UK law. That is not a worldwide rule. The IWF’s 2026 report notes that legislation varies internationally, so the UK explanation should not be applied to the United States, the EU or another location without checking current local law.
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