The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) reported that this manipulated material could be used to blackmail children into sending even more graphic content.

The software tools suggested in the manual are designed to remove clothing from underwear shots sent by children.

The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), a charity that removes child sexual abuse material from the internet, has reported the first evidence of perpetrators using AI technology to create and distribute such content.

Last year, the IWF warned of a rise in extortion cases where victims are manipulated into sending explicit images and are then threatened with their release.

The new development involves an anonymous online manual, which runs to nearly 200 pages, detailing the successful blackmailing of 13-year-old girls into sending nude images online.

This is the first known instance of AI being used to create "astoundingly realistic" child sexual abuse material.

The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) reported that they discovered over 275,000 webpages with child sexual abuse content in 2023, which is the highest number ever recorded by the organization.

This includes a record amount of "category A" material, which can involve severe acts such as rape, sadism, and bestiality.

The IWF handed the document over to the UK's National Crime Agency.

Previously, the Labour party had been considering a ban on nudification tools that enable users to create images of people without their consent.

The IWF declared 2023 as the most extreme year on record for online child sexual abuse.