Male students at a Sydney high school used AI deepfake technology to create and circulate sexually explicit images of female students without their consent, prompting police investigation and highlighting the growing problem of AI-generated image-based abuse in schools.
Students at a high school in Sydney used artificial intelligence technology to create sexually explicit deepfake images by digitally altering photos to superimpose the faces of female students onto explicit content. These digitally manipulated images were then circulated online. The incident was reported to authorities after a male student who received the images reported it to the school. Multiple families attended Eastwood Police Station on Wednesday evening to file reports, and NSW Police have commenced an investigation. The NSW Department of Education confirmed the school is working closely with police and stated that strong disciplinary action would be taken against any students found to have engaged in this behavior. The incident occurs amid a broader trend of AI-generated image-based abuse, with Australia's eSafety Commissioner reporting that such incidents are happening at least once a week in Australian schools. Reports of deepfake image-based abuse have doubled in Australia over the past 18 months, with at least one school-based incident emerging weekly. NSW recently strengthened its laws to make the production of sexually explicit deepfakes punishable by up to three years in jail.
Domain classification, causal taxonomy, severity scores, and national security assessments were LLM-classified and may contain errors.
Using AI systems to gain a personal advantage over others such as through cheating, fraud, scams, blackmail or targeted manipulation of beliefs or behavior. Examples include AI-facilitated plagiarism for research or education, impersonating a trusted or fake individual for illegitimate financial benefit, or creating humiliating or sexual imagery.
Human
Due to a decision or action made by humans
Intentional
Due to an expected outcome from pursuing a goal
Post-deployment
Occurring after the AI model has been trained and deployed