In Badajoz, Spain, fifteen school children aged between 13 and 15 have been sentenced to a year’s probation by a youth court after they were found guilty of creating and spreading AI-generated nude images of their fellow female students. The children have been handed down 20 counts of child abuse image creation and a similar number of counts of offences against moral integrity.
As part of their sentence, the minors will be required to attend citizenship education classes, focused on gender equality and responsible use of technology. The court detailed how the defendants had made use of AI applications to manipulate original images of female students, taken from their social media profiles, to create fake images of these girls naked.
The artificial images were first identified in September of the previous year in Almendralejo, a small town in the south-west of the country, when parents reported that images of their daughters were being shared via WhatsApp. The manipulated images were alarmingly realistic and depicted the girls fully naked, causing substantial anxiety and distress to the victims, some of whom were just 11 years old.
The mothers of several victims revealed their shock at the images. The mother of a girl named Miriam Al Adib voiced her frustration on Instagram, explaining that the fake images were incredibly realistic and deeply disturbing. She shared how her daughter was disgusted and afraid that the images might be shared on adult websites. Another mother, Fátima Gómez, told local media that her daughter was blackmailed with a manipulated image of herself by a boy from her school who demanded money from her.
Following the reports, police investigations identified an application named ‘ClothOff AI’ as the tool used to generate the images. It disturbingly claims to be able to ‘undress anybody’ and charges €10 for the generation of 25 images.
The case highlights the pressing requirement to legislate against the growing threat of AI-generated deep fakes, especially targeting minors. Legal experts have stressed that existing laws offer little protection for victims of these emerging forms of offences. The Malvaluna Association, which represented the affected families in court, highlighted the importance of sex education in schools as a method of combating the harmful effects of pornography and deep fakes.
The speedy advancement of AI technology is increasingly worrisome due to the potential for its misuse and exploitation, which often disproportionately targets women and children. Both the World Economic Forum and US lawmakers have recently discussed the urgent need for policies to guard against AI risks. Policymakers, tech companies, educators, and parents need to collaborate to create a safer online environment for children.
