Parents Furious as School Accused of Covering Up AI-Generated Nudes of Students

Two of the school's leaders just resigned.

Deepfake Coverup

A small school in Pennsylvania shut down classes on Monday after parents accused leaders of covering up an AI nudes scandal among its students.

As Ars Technica reports, the parents forced members of the school's leadership to either resign or face a lawsuit, seeking criminal penalties.

Days later, the Lancaster Country Day School Board of Directors announced that it had decided to "part ways" with its head of school Matt Micciche, as local outlet Lancaster Online reported last week. The board's president Angela Ang-Alhadeff also resigned.

Earlier this month, law enforcement identified almost 50 victims after a fellow student used AI to generate nude images of his female classmates last year.

Micciche reportedly knew about the incident since at least November 2023 after receiving an anonymous tipoff. The perpetrator's phone was seized by law enforcement in August of this year but he hasn't been charged, according to Lancaster Online.

It's the latest in a string of similar incidents across the country over the last couple of years, a terrifying new reality for teens. AI fakes have quickly become the new face of bullying, enabled by the emergence of easy-to-use smartphone apps that can generate photorealistic nudes in moments.

Stripped of Power

Neither students nor their parents were satisfied with the school board's handling of the situation. Earlier this month, hundreds of high school students walked out in protest.

"Many feel strongly that we haven’t been as open and communicative as we could, adding to their pain," Micciche wrote in a statement at the time. "We will work together with our students to find a way forward that promotes healing and will be guided by what we hear from them."

But Micciche's milquetoast comments landed on deaf ears. Even following his and Ang-Alhadeff's resignation, parents told Lancaster Online on Monday that they would still pursue charges against the school.

On the same day, the school announced that classes were canceled, according to the report.

Beyond this one story, US lawmakers are actively debating how to protect children against the proliferation of AI nudes.

But as Ars points out, their efforts have yet to solidify into actual rules, despite numerous incidents. In May, for instance, a software engineer was arrested after being accused of grooming children using AI-generated child sexual abuse material.

And it's not just the US. The South Korean government is facing a similar deepfake nudes crisis, rolling out tougher punishment and regulations for offenders earlier this month.

More on deepfakes: Russian Hackers Are Using Fake AI "Nudify" Sites to Steal Data