A small town in southern Spain has been rattled by a scandal involving the distribution of AI-generated images of young girls within several local schools. These deepfake images, primarily sourced from the girls’ social media profiles where they appeared fully clothed, were disseminated across at least four out of Almendralejo’s five middle schools, as reported by El País.
The artificial intelligence application responsible for this disturbing act processed the images to create new, fake ones portraying the girls in a naked state, according to the report. This unsettling development stemmed from the use of an AI-powered app known as “Clothoff,” which allows users to manipulate images to undress subjects.
The victims in this case include more than 20 girls aged 11 to 17 in Almendralejo, a town situated in the western Spanish region of Extremadura. The matter came to light after Miriam Al Adib, a doctor and the mother of one of the affected girls, used her social media platform to raise awareness of the incident.
The distressing situation has prompted a collective response, with parents creating a WhatsApp group to support the victims. At least 10 individuals have been identified as suspects in the case, some of whom are reportedly as young as 13 years old. It’s important to note that, in Spain, children under 14 years old cannot face criminal charges.
Spain’s national police force, la Policía Nacional, continues to investigate this troubling incident that has left a profound impact on the girls and their community.