Five Beverly Hills eighth grade students have been expelled for their involvement in creating and distributing fake nude photographs of their classmates.
The Beverly Hills Unified School District board of education voted at a special meeting Wednesday night to approve stipulated expulsion agreements with five students. According to a source close to the investigation, the expelled students attended Beverly Vista High School. Under a stipulated agreement, the students and their parents do not contest the punishment and no hearing was held.
The names of the students were not revealed and the agreements are confidential. However, such agreements typically specify how long a student is expelled and what the terms are for his or her return to the district.
According to the superintendent. Michael Bregy, the five students who were the focus of his investigation were “most notably involved” in creating and sharing the images, which superimposed images of real students' faces onto simulated naked bodies generated by artificial intelligence. The victims, the district said, were 16 eighth grade students.
Shared via messaging apps, the images outraged parents and school officials, prompting Bregy to tell parents in a message last month that he was prepared to impose “the most severe disciplinary actions permitted by state law.” ”. The students involved were identified and disciplined within 24 hours, but the district took no action to expel them until it completed its investigation.
The Beverly Hills Police Department and the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office are still investigating the incident, but no arrests have been made or charges filed. California laws against possessing child pornography and sharing non-consensual nude photographs do not specifically apply to AI-generated images, which legal experts say would pose a problem for prosecutors.
The fake nudes briefly circulated among Beverly Vista students in late February, school officials say. They haven't specified how the images were made, other than to say it involved generative AI.
There are dozens of AI-based apps available online to “undress” someone in a photo, simulating what a person would look like if they had been naked when the photo was taken. Other AI-based tools allow you to “face swap” a target person with another person's naked body.
Versions of these programs have existed for years, but the previous ones were expensive, more difficult to use and less realistic. Today, AI tools can clone realistic images and create fakes quickly; Even using a smartphone, it can be achieved in a matter of seconds..
In a message to parents on Thursday evening, Bregy said: “This incident has stimulated crucial discussions about the ethical use of technology, including AI, underscoring the importance of vigilant and informed participation within digital environments. In response, our district is steadfast in its commitment to improving education around digital citizenship, privacy, and safety for our students, staff, and parents, which was immediately reemphasized at all schools following the incident.”
No specific policy change has been announced in response to the incident, but the district had already banned students from using cell phones on campus.
Bregy said the nude images, which were reported to school officials on Feb. 21, were contained within 24 hours.
“We recognize that children are still learning and growing, and mistakes are part of this process,” he said in the message. “However, accountability is essential and appropriate measures have been taken.”
