IWF backs Pope Leo XIV call for responsible AI development
Online child protection efforts intensify as IWF pushes for global AI safeguards.
The Internet Watch Foundation has welcomed Pope Leo XIV’s reflections on AI, arguing that AI systems must be developed with stronger safeguards to protect children from abuse.
In a blog post, the IWF said the Pope’s message that technology should serve the common good and remain subject to human judgement and accountability reflects the risks its analysts are already seeing online.
The organisation warned that AI is being used to generate highly realistic child sexual abuse images and videos at scale. It said the number of AI-generated child sexual abuse videos identified by the IWF in 2025 increased by more than 260%, with nearly two-thirds falling into the most severe category of abuse.
The IWF also raised concerns about AI-nudification tools, which can generate realistic sexualised images of children and other individuals. Following the Child Dignity in the Artificial Intelligence Era conference in Rome, the organisation joined more than 100 organisations and individuals in supporting calls for a global ban on such tools.
The IWF said AI safety should be built into products from the earliest stages of development. Through its Safety by Design work, the organisation is calling for companies to assess, test and mitigate risks before AI systems reach the public.
It also called for stronger regulation, global alignment and enforceable safety-by-design standards to prevent the creation and spread of AI-generated child sexual abuse material.
Why does it matter?
The IWF’s warning shows how generative AI is creating urgent child protection risks, especially through realistic synthetic abuse material and nudification tools. The issue is no longer only content moderation after harm occurs; it increasingly concerns model design, testing, deployment and accountability before AI systems reach users. That makes safety by design, developer responsibility and international coordination central to AI governance.
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