Technology is enabling traffickers to identify, recruit, and control victims at scale, making exploitation harder to detect, a UK study warns
Artificial intelligence is helping criminals expand their entrapment of modern-day slaves across the UK, with traffickers increasingly using digital tools to identify and exploit victims, a new report has found.
Criminal networks in the UK are seeking to enslave people through coercion, deception, or force, including forced labor, sexual exploitation, and human trafficking, the study, commissioned by the UK Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, has found. AI is enabling traffickers to “identify, recruit and control victims at scale,” making exploitation more widespread and significantly harder to detect.
The report noted that the number of reported cases reached 23,411 in 2025, the highest on record and marked a 22% annual increase, underscoring what officials describe as a growing crisis.
According to the study, AI-driven scams, deepfakes and synthetic identities are being used to target vulnerable individuals, while new forms of digital labor exploitation are expanding the pool of victims. These methods reportedly allow traffickers to operate more efficiently and with greater anonymity.
At the same time, economic pressures, including the rising cost of living, are increasing vulnerability, creating what the commissioner described as a “pipeline” of people at risk of exploitation.
Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner Eleanor Lyons warned that without urgent action, modern slavery will become more complex, more hidden, and harder to combat. She called on the government to prioritize the issue, boost law enforcement resources, and raise public awareness.
Lyons stressed that the rapid evolution of technology means the threat is likely to continue growing.
The growing use of chatbots has long fueled concerns among independent researchers and government agencies worldwide about AI-enabled crime. While most illegal activities have been linked to the digital sphere, including hacking, cyberattacks, fraud, and identity theft, chatbots have also increasingly been implicated in facilitating more serious and violent crimes.
A recent joint investigation by CNN and the Center for Countering Digital Hate found that 8 out of 10 AI chatbots helped simulate violent attack planning, including school shootings and attacks on public figures. The research also found that most systems were willing to provide actionable guidance in violent scenarios to users posing as minors.
