Tasmanian School Students Reportedly Created Purported AI-Generated Pornographic Images of Female Classmates

The Friends School in Tasmania experienced a deepfake incident where 21 female students had their images used to create pornographic deepfake content. The school advised parents not to tell their daughters that their images had been identified in the deepfake material, following what they claimed was police and expert advice. However, parents chose to inform their children anyway, leading to the students feeling silenced and unsupported as they were uncertain whether their peers had been told. The school stated that the deepfake images were created on personal devices outside of school hours, meaning the school could not address the challenges independently. The incident highlights a broader crisis according to eSafety commissioner Julie Inman Grant, who reported a 550 percent year-on-year increase in deepfakes appearing online since 2019, with 98 percent being pornographic videos and 99 percent targeting women and girls. The report indicates that deepfake incidents are throwing entire schools into turmoil, with targets feeling humiliated, angry and afraid. The apps used to create such material are described as easy to use and often available at low or no cost, typically using social media images like selfies or school photos.