Several Los Angeles-area school districts have investigated cases of “inappropriate” AI-generated images of students circulating online and in text messages in recent months.
Most recently, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) announced that it is investigating “allegations of the creation and dissemination of inappropriate photographs within the Fairfax High School community,” the school district told Fox News Digital in a statement. “These allegations are taken seriously, do not reflect the values of the Los Angeles Unified community, and will result in appropriate disciplinary action if warranted.”
A preliminary investigation revealed that the images were allegedly “created and shared on a third-party messaging application not affiliated with” LAUSD. The school district said it “remains steadfast in providing training on the ethical use of technology, including AI, and is committed to improving education around digital citizenship, privacy and safety for everyone in our school communities.” .
AI apps and websites have the ability to overlay photos of people's faces over AI-generated nude photos or, in some cases, videos.
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The Los Angeles Unified School District announced last week the circulation of “inappropriate” AI-generated images at Fairfax High School this week. (Google Maps)
Titania Jordan, CEO of social media security company Bark Technologies, told Fox News Digital in a statement that the recent incident within LAUSD “is indicative of a larger issue affecting society: the use of AI with malicious purposes.”
“Deepfakes, and specifically non-consensual, shared and fabricated intimate images and videos, are not just fun TikTok or Snapchat filters. These deceptively realistic media can have devastating real-life consequences for victims who did not consent to them. his image was used,” he said. “What complicates matters is the fact that the technology behind them improves every day. It has already reached the point where it can be difficult to distinguish between an authentic video and a deepfake.”
The announcement comes after similar cases within the Beverly Hills Unified School District (BHUSD) and the Laguna Beach Unified School District (LBUSD).
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Earlier this month, Jason Allemann, principal at Dana Hills High School, sent a letter to parents notifying them about AI-generated images of naked students circulating online, FOX 11 Los Angeles reported. The images circulated online and in text messages, according to the outlet.
Beverly Vista High School on Monday, February 26, 2024 in Beverly Hills, CA. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
“These actions not only compromise individual dignity but also undermine the positive and supportive environment we aim to foster at LBHS,” Allemann said in the letter, according to FOX 11.
Dana Hills senior Ariana Coulolias told FOX 11 that the images looked “really real.”
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“It's a little scary to see things like that happen,” Coulolias told the outlet.
In February, high school students reported to Beverly Hills school administrators that inappropriate AI images were circulating around Beverly Vista High School.
Earlier this year, nude, AI-generated photos of high school students circulated at a Beverly Hills school. (FOX 11 LA)
“We want to make it unequivocally clear that this behavior is unacceptable and does not reflect the values of our school community,” the district said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital at the time. “While we are aware of similar situations occurring across the country, we must act now. This behavior reaches a level that requires the entire community to work in partnership to ensure it stops immediately.”
The district noted that misusing AI in such acts may not technically be a crime, as laws are still catching up with the technology.
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“[W]”We are working closely with the Beverly Hills Police Department throughout this investigation,” the district said. “We assure you that if any criminal offenses are discovered, they will be addressed to the fullest extent possible.”
Taylor Swift recently fell victim to a malicious AI deepfake challenge originating from 4chan that uses AI deepfake technology. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)
Bark Technologies' Titania Jordan noted that even Taylor Swift recently became a victim of “this privacy violation” stemming from the “viral 4chan challenge” using deepfake AI technology. “Ms. Swift may have drawn a lot of attention to this issue, but it has been around for a while and happens more frequently than most people realize. Unfortunately, authorities and legal action have been slow to catch up.” up to date with this technology because of the way it new,” Jordan said.
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She added that “[s]”Students, families, and schools must work together to educate their community about how dangerous and unacceptable it is to create deepfakes without permission.”
“It's not just about the potential harm of fake nudes: deepfake technology can also be used in scams, heists and even to influence political behavior,” Jordan explained.
Fox News' Bradford Betz contributed to this report.
