They turned technology into weapons – and no one is safe from the scandal.
Teens use artificial intelligence to liven up disturbing, realistic nude images of classmates, then share like a digital wildfire, send shockwaves through schools, leaving experts in fear of the worst.
AI-powered tools, often called “Nudify” apps, are as sinister as they can be heard. These apps can create explicit deepfake images that look very realistic, with headshots that are often lifted from yearbooks and social media profiles.
And yes, it’s already happening in school.
These surreal images, fake with AI tools, are turning bullying into a high-tech nightmare.
“We’re in a place where you’re not doing anything right now, and stories and photos about you are posted online,” said Don Austin, director of the Palo Alto Unified School District. Fox News Digital.
“They are manufactured. They are fully constructed through AI and can have your voice and face. It’s a completely different world.”
This is a full-scale digital crisis. Last summer, San Francisco law firm 16 so-called sueds Nudify website allegedly violates the law regarding child exploitation and non-consensual imagery.
These sites alone have attracted over 200 million visits in the first half of 2023.
But do you catch the tech companies behind these tools? It’s like playing a whac-a-mole game.
Most people skate past state laws, but like Minnesota, some people are trying to pass laws to hold them accountable for the chaos they are happy to be pleased with.
Still, technology moves faster than the law – and children are caught up in crossfire.
Josh Ochs, founder of SmartSocial, an organization that trains families with online safety, told Fox News Digital that AI-generated nudes are causing “extreme harm” to teens across the country.
“Children these days may upload headshots of another child at school. The app recreates a person’s body as if they were naked,” Ochs revealed to the outlet.
“This causes extreme harm to the photographs, especially the children that may be in their friends and family,” he pointed out.
He said parents need to stop toes around their child’s digital life and will begin to abandon some boundaries.
“It’s time to have that discussion early and often before handing your child a phone call or social media. Hey, this is a lender for you and it can really hurt our family, so we can always get it back,” Ochs said.
In February, the US Senate passed the bill unanimously, not even threatening to make it public a criminal or public.
More action is awaited now.
Austin said the only way to get ahead of the curve is to continue talking to parents, teachers, students and others who listen.
“This isn’t gone,” he warned. “It’s evolving – and fast.”
