Cairns and Toukley men arrested in global AI-generated child abuse material investigationSBy Shari HamsTopic:Child AbuseSat 1 MarSaturday 1 MarchSat 1 Mar 2025 at 12:32amLoading...In short:A Queensland man and a New South Wales man are among 25 people charged as part of a global police investigation into AI-generated child abuse material.An investigation was launched when Danish police arrested a man alleged to have created and disseminated child abuse material through an online subscription service.What's next?The two Australians have been granted bail and will appear in court at a later date.Two Australian men have been arrested in a global investigation across 19 countries targeting the alleged creation and distribution of AI-generated child abuse material.A 31-year-old man from Cairns in Far North Queensland and a 38-year-old man from Toukley in New South Wales's Central Coast were arrested by Australian Federal Police (AFP).Loading..."AI technology is increasingly accessible and the AFP's Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) has witnessed an increase in AI-generated child abuse material in the past year," AFP Detective Acting Superintendent Kurt Wesche said.Both men, who are not known to each other, were charged with possessing child abuse material.The AFP raided two Australian homes.(Supplied: AFP)At their separate homes, the AFP allegedly found child abuse material on mobile phones and other electronic devices.The men were granted bail and will appear in court at a later date.More than two dozen arrested across 19 countriesThe AFP worked in conjunction with Danish Police, who led Operation Cumberland to arrest 25 people."The exploitation and abuse of children is not restricted by borders, so no one country can combat this threat alone,"Detective Wesche said.The operation started after a Danish national was arrested for allegedly producing AI-generated child abuse material and sold it through an online subscription services.International law enforcement identified 273 subscribers across the world and alerted the relevant authorities.Loading...Detective Wesche said the investigation proved the importance of law enforcement working together across the world to combat this crime type.He said it was getting harder for police to discern if an image showed a real child and he was concerned AI could divert investigation sources from "finding real children who are being abused and at harm"."In Australia, it is a criminal offence to create, possess or share content that depicts the abuse of someone aged under 18, it is child abuse material irrespective of whether it is real or not," he said.