‘Inappropriate images’ are circulating at another California high school, as officials grapple with how to protect teenagers from AI porn created by classmates.

• Administrators have launched an investigation at Fairfax High School in LA.
• The images were allegedly created by students and circulated on a messaging app.
• Similar scandals have rocked schools in Beverly Hills and Laguna Beach.

A third school in Southern California has been hit by allegations of digitally manipulated photos of students circulating around campus.

The Los Angeles Unified School District has launched a formal investigation into claims that ‘inappropriate images’ were created and shared by students at Fairfax High School.

LAUSD officials allege the photos were distributed on a ‘third-party messaging app’ unaffiliated with the district.

“These allegations are taken seriously, do not reflect the values ​​of the Los Angeles Unified community and, if substantiated, will be subject to appropriate disciplinary action,” the district wrote in a statement Wednesday.

Although officials declined to say whether the images in question were created using artificial intelligence, they emphasized that the district is “steadfast in providing training on the ethical use of technology — including AI.” ‘ Los Angeles Unified School District launches investigation after Fairfax High School students allegedly created and shared ‘inappropriate images’ District officials said the images were shared on a ‘third-party messaging app’, but did not specify whether the images were created using artificial intelligence.

Additionally, he wrote, LAUSD is ‘committed to enhancing education around digital citizenship, privacy and safety for all in our school communities.’

The incident is the latest in a string of scandals that have plagued schools in the Southern California region.

Just last month, Laguna Beach High School administrators launched an investigation after a student allegedly created and circulated ‘inappropriate photos’ of his classmates.

In a March 25 email to parents, Principal Jason Elliman wrote that school leadership is ‘taking steps to investigate this matter and resolve directly with those involved.’

At the same time, he added, the case should be seen as a ‘teachable moment for our students, reinforcing the importance of responsible behavior and mutual respect.’

The Laguna Beach Police Department is assisting with the pending investigation, which comes amid a separate inquiry by the Beverly Hills Police Department into the distribution of ‘deep faxes’ at a local middle school.

The Beverly Hills Unified School District issued a statement to parents after nude photos of artificially groomed students began circulating around Beverly Vista Middle School in late February.

“Sixteen eighth-graders were targeted, and five eighth-graders were also identified,” wrote Superintendent Michael Braggey.

While Braggey acknowledged that the children are ‘still learning and growing, and mistakes are part of the process’, he confirmed that disciplinary measures had been taken and noted that the incident had been stopped quickly. .

The district vowed to hold accountable any other student found to be creating, distributing, or in possession of such AI-generated images.

The board of education voted to expel the five eighth-graders, whose names have not been released, during a special meeting March 6.

The term ‘deepfake’, a portmanteau of ‘deep learning’ and ‘fake’, originated on Reddit in 2017.

It was used to display images created by a user who used artificial intelligence to superimpose celebrities’ faces onto pornographic video clips.

Today, the term is widely used to refer to AI-generated media that is used to digitally replace one person’s likeness with another.

The images produced are often so convincing that deepfake technology has sparked panic among celebrities and politicians alike.

The images produced are often so convincing that deepfake technology has sparked panic among celebrities and politicians alike.

Most recently, New York Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez recounted the traumatic experience of watching an AI-generated pornographic video of herself earlier this year.

She was inspired to introduce legislation in the House that would have allowed victims of deepfakes to bring civil actions against producers and distributors of offensive content.

“Victims of non-consensual pornography deep-fax have waited too long for federal legislation to hold perpetrators accountable,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote in a statement last month.

‘As deepfakes become easier to access and create – 96% of deepfake videos circulating online are non-consensual pornography – Congress needs to act to show victims that they will not be left behind. .’

The bill, dubbed the DEFIANCE Act, would create a federal civil right of action for victims of so-called ‘digital fraud’.

It was tabled in the House on March 7 and referred to the Judiciary Committee.