Associated Incidents
NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – Boys from New Jersey’s Westfield High School shared fake, AI-generated nude photos of female classmates in group chats over the summer, 1010 WINS/WCBS 880 confirmed.
According to students, one or more of their male classmates utilized an online artificial intelligence tool to make the lewd images before circulating them around the high school community.
The Westfield Public Schools administration was not aware of the images until Oct. 20, according to an email the district sent 1010 WINS/WCBS 880.
Once the situation was uncovered, Westfield High School conducted an immediate investigation based on the district’s Student Code of Conduct, and notified the Westfield Police Department, the district confirmed.
On the same day high school officials discovered the incident, Mary Asfendis, principal of Westfield High School, sent an email to parents.
The email briefed families on the situation and encouraged parents to contact the Westfield Police Department if they believed their child was a victim of a criminal act in relation to the incident.
“I wanted to make you aware of the situation, as, in addition to harming the students involved and disrupting the school day, it is critically important to talk with your children about their use of technology and what they are posting, saving and sharing on social media,” Asfendis wrote in the email.
“New technologies have made it possible to falsify images and students need to know the impact and damage those actions can cause to others,” she continued.
The district confirmed that the Westfield High School Counseling Department met individually with students seeking support in addition to meeting with the entire grade level in small groups to discuss the incident and detail district technology policies.
According to Dorota Mani, the mother of one of the victims, a 14-year-old girl, these shows of support are not enough.
“Their female population, their students, are very upset and uncomfortable. And they are doing nothing to make them feel better,” Mani told 1010 WINS/WCBS 880.
Mani said that 34 girls were called into the office in relation to this incident, and that Principal Asfendis told her there is one boy suspected of creating the images.
The district refused to provide specific details regarding the number of students involved and any disciplinary actions imposed, citing student confidentiality.
“All school districts are grappling with the challenges and impact of artificial intelligence and other technology available to students at any time and anywhere,” Westfield Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Raymond González wrote in an email to 1010 WINS/WCBS 880.
“We continue to strengthen our efforts by educating our students and establishing clear guidelines to ensure that these new technologies are used responsibly in our schools and beyond,” González said.
The rise in free AI tools has resulted in the increased spread of deepfake images across social media, with visual threat intelligence company Sensity reporting that more than 90% of these images are pornographic.
The precedent for legislative options regarding those impacted by AI-powered, false images doesn’t yet exist, leaving lawmakers determined to define rules regarding AI.
1010 WINS/WCBS 880 spoke with New Jersey State Senator John Bramnick, who said that “We want to make sure that our statutes make this a serious offense, right now it might be limited to some sort of harassment.”
As female students attempt to heal from this situation, Dorota Mani offers some hope.
“Under the circumstances she is doing very good,” Mani said of her daughter. “I have a firecracker at home. She’s opinionated, she’s strong, she’s independent.”