L.A. school district probes inappropriate images shared at Fairfax High. More AI abuse?
Education
Howard Blume April 9, 2024
Los Angeles school officials are investigating allegations
that
inappropriate photos
were
“created and disseminated within the Fairfax High School community,” in what appears to be
the
latest alleged misuse of technology by students, a district stat
e
ment said.
Last week, Laguna Beach High School administrators announced that they had launched an investigation after a student allegedly created and circulated inappropriate images of
classmatesother students
through the use of artificial intelligence.
In January, five Beverly Hills eighth-graders were expelled for their involvement in the creation and sharing of fake nude pictures of
their
classmates. The students superimposed pictures of
their
classmates faces onto
simulated
nude bodies generated by artificial intelligence. In total, 16 eighth-grade students were targeted by the pictures, which were shared through messaging apps, according to the district.
It was not immediately clear if AI was used
in the incident
at Fairfax High. The L.A. Unified School District did not
immediately
provide that information in its statement
Tuesday afternoon
.
“These allegations are taken seriously, do not reflect the values of the Los Angeles Unified community and will result in appropriate disciplinary action if warranted,”
according to
the district
said in the
statement, which went out to parents Tuesday afternoon.
Based on a preliminary investigation, “the images were allegedly created and shared on a third-party messaging app unaffiliated with Los Angeles Unified,” the district stated.
District officials
also
called attention to their efforts to provide “digital
citizenshipcitenzship
” lessons to students
at various ages,
from elementary
school
through high school. In the statement, officials said the nation’s second-largest school system “remains steadfast in providing training on the ethical use of technology including AI and is committed to enhancing education around digital citizenship, privacy and safety for all in our school communities.”
In
similar
investigations
elsewhere
, the local police department has been involved. L.A. Unified did not disclose whether Los Angeles police or school police have been involved in
itsthe
investigation or whether
any
diciplinary actions have been taken.
At schools across the country, people have combined deepfake technology combined with real photos of female students to create fraudulent images of nude bodies. Deepfake technology can be used to combine photos of real people with computer-generated nude bodies.
Such fake images can be produced using a cellphone.
A 16-year-old high school student in Calabasas said a former friend used AI to generate pornographic images of her and circulated them, KABC-TV reported last month. In January, AI-generated sexually explicit images of Taylor Swift were distributed on social media.
According to some experts,
If a California student share
sd
a nude photo of a classmate without consent, the student could conceivably be prosecuted under state laws dealing with child pornography and disorderly conduct
, experts say
. But these laws would not necessarily apply to an AI-generated deepfake.
Several federal bills have been proposed, including one that would make it illegal to produce and share AI-generated sexually explicit material without the consent of the individuals
being
portrayed. Another bill would allow victims to sue.
In California,
state
lawmakers have proposed extending
prohibitions onlaws prohibiting
revenge porn and child porn to computer-generated images.
School districts are
also
trying to get a handle on the technology. This year, the Orange County Department of Education began leading monthly meetings with
school
districts to talk about
the use of
AI and how to integrate it into the education system.
