Outrage at New Jersey’s Westfield High School after boy is caught sharing AI-generated NUDES of female classmates, leaving victims feeling humiliated and fearing the images could end up online, as school principal issues warning to parents
- The nude images were made from photos of the victims found online
- Some victims, as young as 14 years old, and their parents reported the incident to the police
- READ MORE: One woman’s fear after a stranger turned her mirror selfie into a sickly AI-generated deepfake nude and then taunted her about it
A New Jersey high school is in crisis after male students were caught sharing AI-generated nude photos of their female classmates.
Some male students in second grade at Westfield High School in New Jersey used an AI-powered website to generate pornographic images of their classmates using girls’ photos found online.
One of the victims, Francesca Mani, who is only 14, has reported the incident to the police.
‘At first I cried, and then I decided I shouldn’t be sad. I should be angry and advocate for myself and the other victims,” Mani said told the Wall Street Journal.
Her mother, Dorota Mani, told the publication: “I am terrified of how this will surface and when. My daughter has a bright future and no one can guarantee that this will not have professional, academic or social consequences for her.”
Male students at Westfield High School in New Jersey (pictured) used an AI-powered website to generate pornographic images of their classmates
Westfield High School Principal Mary Asfendis alerted parents to the situation in an email on Oct. 20
Another victim said: ‘We are aware that there are scary boys out there, but you would never think that one of your classmates would abuse you in this way.’
Westfield High School Principal Mary Asfendis alerted parents to the situation in an email on Oct. 20.
“This is a very serious incident,” Asfendis wrote.
‘New technologies have made it possible to forge images and students need to know the impact and harm these actions can cause to others.’
Asfendis said she believed the images had now been deleted and were no longer in circulation.
A spokesperson for Westfield Public Schools told the Journal they would not provide details on the number of students involved or confirm whether any disciplinary action was taken, due to student confidentiality.
“It’s hard to be in a situation where you’re seeing young girls traumatized at a vulnerable time in their lives,” Shelley Brindle, Westfield’s first female mayor, told the publication.
More than 90% of such fake images, known as ‘deep fakes’, are porn, according to image detection company Sensity AI.
States including Virginia, California, Minnesota and New York have banned the distribution of counterfeit porn or given victims the right to sue its creators in civil court. However, experts believe that federal law cannot keep up with these types of technological changes.
“This must be a serious crime in New Jersey,” Jon Bramnick, a New Jersey state senator whose district includes Westfield, told the Journal.