Malicious Use of AI in Schools
Last October, 14-year-old Francesca Mani was in her high school history class when she heard a rumor that some boys had nude photos of female classmates. She quickly learned that her image was among them, although the photos had been photoshopped by a “nudification” site or app, capable of transforming photos of clothed people into realistic nude images. Over the past 20 months, nearly 30 similar incidents have been recorded in schools across the United States, not to mention others around the world. We want to warn you: some of what you will hear about, or even see, is disturbing, but it is crucial to shine a light on these “nudification” sites. They are not hidden on the dark web, but are in fact widely accessible and easy to use, and few measures appear to have been taken to counter them.
Francesca Mani had no idea these sites existed when she discovered that she and several other girls at Westfield High School in New Jersey had been targeted. According to a complaint filed by one of another girl’s parents, a boy at school allegedly uploaded photos from Instagram to a site called Clothoff. We are naming this site to raise awareness of its potential dangers.
60 Minutes
There are over a hundred of these “nudification” sites, and you only need to do a quick search to find them. Clothoff is one of the most popular, with more than 3 million visits last month, according to Graphika, a social media analytics company. This site now also offers to “nudify” men, although female nudes are by far the most requested. “Do you have anyone to undress?” asks the Clothoff site. You can upload a photo or request a free demo that shows an image of a clothed woman, then seconds later her clothes disappear. We blurred this image, but the results look very realistic.
Francesca never saw what was done to her photo, but according to the complaint, at least one AI-generated “nude” was shared on Snapchat and seen by several students at the school. What was worse, Francesca said, was that she and the other girls learned they were victims when their names were announced over the school microphone.
Francesca Mani: “I think this was a major violation of our privacy while the bad actors were sneaked out of their classroom. When I left the principal’s office, I was walking down a hallway and saw groups of boys laughing at groups of girls in tears. That’s when I realized I need to stop crying and get angry because this is unacceptable.”
That afternoon, the Westfield principal sent an email to all parents at the school, announcing that “some of our students had used artificial intelligence to create pornographic images from original photos.” The principal also clarified that the school was investigating and at this stage they believed that all images created had been deleted and were not being released.
Dorota, Francesca’s mother, who is also a teacher, was not convinced by the school’s reaction.
Dorota Mani: “I don’t know if they took appropriate measures.”
Good to know
- Nudification sites use advanced AI algorithms to alter images.
- Legislation regarding inappropriate images of minors remains unclear, exposing victims to significant psychological harm.
- There are legislative initiatives underway, such as the “Take It Down Act,” aimed at combating this phenomenon.
- Source image(s) : www.cbsnews.com
- Source : https://www.cbsnews.com/news/schools-face-new-threat-nudify-sites-use-ai-create-realistic-revealing-images-60-minutes-transcript/
Our editors use AI to help them deliver fresh items from trusted sources to our users. If you find any image or content that is inappropriate, please contact us via DMCA form and we will promptly remove it. / Our editors use AI to help them offer our readers fresh articles from reliable sources. If you find an image or content inappropriate, please contact us via the DMCA form and we’ll remove it promptly.
