WESTFIELD, NJ — Students at Westfield High School made and distributed fake pornographic images of other female students at the school, sparking concern among some parents and prompting officials to investigate the claims, according to officials and reports.
Girls at the high school recently discovered boys were sharing nude photos of them in group chats after one or more other students used an online tool powered by artificial intelligence to create the images, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Dorota Mani told the Journal that her 14-year-old daughter was among the students whose photos were used.
"I am terrified by how this is going to surface and when. My daughter has a bright future and no one can guarantee this won't impact her professionally, academically or socially," Mani told the publication.
In a statement provided to Patch, a district spokesperson confirmed the incident happened over the summer and was brought to the attention of school officials last month. The district conducted an "immediate investigation," according to the spokesperson, and notified Westfield police.
The district spokesperson declined to provide details on the number of students involved or confirm if any disciplinary actions had been taken, citing confidentiality reasons.
One parent told the Wall Street Journal that some of the sophomore boys were acting "weird" in the days leading up to school officials learning about the photos. On Oct. 20, a boy told some of the girls about the photos, who then told administrators.
Westfield High School Principal Mary Asfendis addressed the photos in an email sent to parents the same day.
"This is a very serious incident," Asfendis wrote in the email obtained by Patch. "New technologies have made it possible to falsify images and students need to know the impact and damage those actions can cause to others."
In the email, Asfendis told parents she believed the images had been deleted and were no longer being circulated.
She added, "We will continue to educate your children on the importance of responsible use of technology and hope you reinforce these messages at home."
At least two families filed reports with the Westfield Police Department, according to the Journal. A police spokesperson did not respond to Patch's request for comment.
So-called "deepfake porn" is becoming increasingly common, according to research conducted by the University of Pennsylvania. Deepfake porn is visual content created using AI technology, which anyone can access through apps and websites.
According to UPenn researcher Sophie Maddocks, the technology uses algorithms that are trained to remove clothes from images of women and replace them with pictures of naked body parts.
According to an NBC News report, 96 percent of deepfake images are sexually explicit and feature women who didn't consent to the creation of the content.
At a national level, President Joe Biden on Monday signed an executive order targeting artificial intelligence that seeks to balance the needs of technology companies with national security and consumer rights.
Before signing the order, Biden said AI is driving change at "warp speed" and carries tremendous potential as well as perils.
"AI is all around us," Biden said. "To realize the promise of AI and avoid the risk, we need to govern this technology."
The order is an initial step to ensure that AI is trustworthy and helpful rather than deceptive and destructive. The order — which will likely need to be augmented by congressional action — seeks to steer how AI is developed so that companies can profit without putting public safety in jeopardy.