AI-Generated Child Abuse Material Now One-Third of P.E.I. Cases

AI-generated exploitation surges in Canadian province

One in three online child sexual abuse investigations handled by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on Prince Edward Island now involves material created or manipulated by artificial intelligence, according to law enforcement officials.

Scott Ferris, senior communications adviser for P.E.I. RCMP, described the shift as a "notable increase" in AI-generated child sexual exploitation material. The 33 percent estimate applies to areas under RCMP jurisdiction, excluding municipalities with independent police forces.

Const. Tim Keizer explained that AI tools are being deployed in two primary ways: generating entirely synthetic images of non-existent children for sexual purposes, and creating "deepfakes" — digitally altered versions of real people. The technology has advanced to the point where distinguishing AI-generated content from authentic imagery has become increasingly difficult, Keizer said.

Legal framework treats synthetic material as real abuse

Canadian law makes no distinction between AI-generated and authentic child sexual abuse material. Section 163.1 of the Criminal Code prohibits any depiction of a minor for sexual purposes, regardless of whether the child depicted actually exists.

"There's no difference," Keizer told CBC News. "There is a charge just the same as if it wasn't done via AI."

Cpl. Gavin Moore reported that approximately two RCMP cases each month result in charges, though this likely represents less than half of all cases received due to factors including insufficient evidence.

Deepfakes fuel sextortion schemes

The technology is increasingly weaponized in sextortion cases, where criminals threaten to distribute sexual images to extort money or explicit content from victims. Moore reported 26 sextortion incidents on Prince Edward Island last year. This year, Summerside police have identified one sextortion case involving AI-generated child abuse material, while Charlottetown police documented one instance of AI-generated exploitation imagery.

Keizer emphasized the need for education around sharing images online, noting that photographs posted publicly can be harvested and manipulated in ways families may not anticipate.

Why it matters

The proliferation of AI-generated child sexual abuse material represents a fundamental shift in how exploitation occurs online. Even when synthetic imagery doesn't depict real children, experts say the harm extends beyond individual victims. Jacques Marcoux, director of research and analytics with the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, noted that many AI models are trained on vast datasets scraped from the internet — datasets that often contain real abuse material hiding on mainstream platforms. The technology also normalizes and potentially increases demand for such content, creating downstream risks for actual children.

Marcoux stressed the importance of tracking AI-generated cases separately to understand the scope of the problem. "There's no doubt that AI is also growing an interest in demand," he said.

These details were first reported by CBC News.