Alarm over AI role in child sexual abuse
BERLIN: German authorities warned on Tuesday of the “growing influence” of AI and digital technology on the sexual abuse of children, saying in a report that criminal abusers are increasingly using those tools. Sexual abuse of minors is “increasingly shifting...
Berlin authorities have warned that artificial intelligence and other digital tools are playing an increasingly troubling role in the sexual abuse of children, as German officials reported a rise in cases and highlighted new online risks.
In a report released on Tuesday, Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office, known as the BKA, said criminal offenders are making more use of AI and digital technology in abuse cases. The agency said sexual abuse of minors is increasingly moving into the digital sphere, contributing to a broader rise in recorded incidents.
BKA chief Holger Muench said the trend is driving overall statistics upward. According to the report, 20,051 minors were victims of sexual abuse in Germany in 2025, up from 19,344 in 2024.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt described the figure as “alarmingly high” and said it still does not account for a significant number of suspected cases that are never reported. He warned that the true scale of abuse could be far higher than official figures indicate.
The report also points to two developments that investigators consider especially concerning. One is cyber-grooming, in which offenders contact minors online and deliberately build trust before committing abuse. The other is the growing use of livestreaming, with police seeing more cases in which people watch abuse as it happens.
Muench said livestream-related reports rose sharply, from 25 cases in 2024 to more than 250 in 2025. He said the increase reflects the way abuse is adapting to digital platforms and tools that can help offenders reach victims or conceal their actions.
The report, based on a monitored public feed, underscores how child protection agencies and law enforcement are now dealing not only with offline abuse but with a fast-changing online environment that can expand access to children and intensify the harm.
German officials did not provide further details in the feed summary on specific AI methods or individual cases, but the warnings add to growing concern in Europe about the misuse of emerging technologies in crimes against children.
Source: Dawn World - https://www.dawn.com/news/2017420/alarm-over-ai-role-in-child-sexual-abuse
