Student ‘deep nudes’ circulating at school
Fake explicit images of teenage students which appear to have been created using artificial intelligence have been circulating at a North Canterbury high school.
Rangiora High School principal Bruce Kearney said an assembly was held yesterday after staff became aware of the images being shared.
Kearney reported the situation to police, who he said were investigating.
At least 15 students, both boys and girls, had been targeted.
“Essentially what [the image creators] have done is they have put them through some sort of software programme so they [appear] naked.
“This is a serious incident, and we will be taking a serious approach to this.”
Kearney said staff did not yet know who created the images, but said the school, which had more than 1500 students on its roll, was supporting those affected.
“Talk about hurtful and damaging to those people involved. Your heart just goes right out to them. It’s just so wrong.”
Kearney said the assembly had reinforced that the situation was “not part of our culture, and we want to stomp on it right now before any of it happens again”.
“We should have ownership over our own bodies and our own pictures and who we are. In this particular case, potentially a student has taken that away.”
The school had notified parents of the images, Kearney said.
“We’ve informed our community and our parents to make sure that we’re all on the same page and supporting each other on this journey.
“This is something that you never want to sweep under the carpet. This is something that you have to face forward straight away and deal with straight away.”
Netsafe chief executive Brent Carey said AI which manipulated images to remove clothing, commonly referred to as “deep nudes”, was concerning.
“Examples like this show the seriousness of the issue and the need for legal action.
“These tools can lead to cyberbullying, harassment, and mental health impacts.”
Netsafe could advise victims of deep nudes on making civil complaints against offenders under the Harmful Digital Communications Act, he said.
Police could determine whether existing criminal law was best placed to address the AI-generated images’ creation and distribution, he added.
“Educating young people, parents and carers about the risks of undress AI and promoting responsible online behaviour is crucial in preventing future incidents.”
More information on deepfakes can be found at netsafe.org.nz/deepfakes.