‘Disgusting’: Minister slams AI porn scandal in Sydney school

Experts say the case of a Year 12 student allegedly creating fake pornographic images of his peers and posting them online shows how easily anyone with a computer can inflict harm on others.

A high school in Sydney’s southwest has been embroiled in AI deepfake porn scandal.

Police are investigating the “abhorrent” alleged use of artificial intelligence by a Sydney school student to generate fake porn of his female classmates, as child safety experts warn that teachers and parents must be more vigilant than ever against the “frightening” trend.

A male Year 12 student at a public school in Sydney’s southwest allegedly used “innocent photos” of multiple female students at his school to generate pornographic online profiles, with parents of the alleged victims finding out when they received an email from the Department of Education.

The student, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, “allegedly used AI to create a profile that resembles your daughter and others,” parents were told.

“Unfortunately innocent photos from social media and school events have been used and the content is pornographic in nature,” the email read.

“We want to emphasise your daughters have done nothing wrong … deep fakes and profiles have been generated through AI.”

A male student (not depicted) at a school in Sydney’s southwest allegedly made deepfake porn of his female classmates.

Parents were also urged to find the fake profiles and report them to the social media platforms.

NSW Police confirmed investigations into the matter started on Monday and remain “ongoing”.

Education Minister Prue Car described the allegations as “abhorrent”, and commended school leaders on their handling of the incident, telling The Daily Telegraph her government would work “unrelentingly” to keep kids safe in the cyber world as well as in the classroom.

A parliamentary inquiry would this year examine the harm pornography – including deepfakes – caused young people. NSW would be the first jurisdiction in the country to hold such an inquiry, she said.

“Credit to the deputy principal and the leadership at this particular school for acting on this straight away,” Ms Car said.

“Our number one priority is making sure that all the affected students are OK.”

Education Minister Prue Car described the AI deep fake allegations at a Sydney school as ‘disgusting’. Picture: Jeremy Piper

Speaking more generally, Ms Car said: “The emergence of deepfake sexually explicit material is deeply disturbing.”

“Let me be clear, the creation and sharing of non-consensual deepfake pornography is a criminal offence, which will not be tolerated anywhere in New South Wales,” she said.

A spokesperson for the Department of Education said “appropriate” disciplinary action would be taken against the alleged perpetrator.

“Our highest priority is to ensure our students feel safe, and any decision about this student’s involvement in the school will be based on that,” they said.

Esafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant victims said abuse through the creation of “deepfakes” had become “one of the most egregious invasions of privacy” in the online world, urging victims to report the non-consensual sharing of intimate images – real or otherwise – to her office.

“The … uptake of generative AI means it no longer takes vast amounts of computing power or masses of content to create convincing deepfakes,” she said.

“It’s becoming more accessible and harder to tell the difference between what’s real and what’s fake. And it’s much easier to inflict great harm.”

In August last year federal parliament passed a bill targeting the creation of non-consensual deepfake pornography, with perpetrators now facing up to seven years in jail if found guilty.

Director of research at child protection charity Bravehearts Carol Ronken said the use of AI to spread fake porn of children was a “growing” and “frightening” problem.

“Even though the victims haven’t shared actual images of themselves or been sexually exploited in a physical way, the very concept of their images being ‘nudified’ and shared can be incredibly traumatic” she said.

“It’s a huge problem that we need to – somehow – address.

“There is a role for schools there, but we’re also very aware that schools have got so much on their plates … there’s also that responsibility of parents, because a lot of the time these images are being created by young people when they’re alone in their bedroom.”

“Deepfaking” is defined as a video or photo of a person in which their face or body has been digitally altered so they appear to be someone else, typically used maliciously or to spread false information.

A number of high-profile celebrities have been victims of deepfaking.

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Originally published as ‘Disgusting’: Minister slams AI porn scandal in Sydney school