Two teenage boys faced a criminal charge under 2022 Florida law for allegedly generating and distributing non-consensual deepfake nudes of minor classmates in December 2023. The incident took place in Pinecrest Cove Academy in Miami where the guilty students faked a suspension for 10 days after the administrations learned about the fake nude images of the middle school classmates.
Key Points:
- Two middle schoolers were arrested in Miami, Florida for the creation and distribution of fake nude images of students.
- The incident took place in December and the guilty boys were charged under Florida’s 2022 law.
- This was the first case in Florida where criminal charges and arrests took place for the creation of non-consensual minors using AI technology.
In December, two teenage boys aged 13 and 14 were arrested for allegedly creating and sharing AI-generated explicit nude images of fellow male and female classmates without their permission based on a report obtained by WIRED. The incident took place in Miami, Florida involving minors aged 12 to 13 whose images were created.
Apparently, this was the first case that took place in Florida which resulted in criminal charges
and arrest being placed for generating and distributing nude images created using AI technology. The police charged three-degree felonies – which fall under the same level of crimes like false imprisonment— According to the state law passed in 2022 that makes it a chargeable offense to distribute any sexualized or explicit images of an individual without their permission.
Florida Middle Schoolers were arrested on December 22
The case first came to light in December, when a suspension of 10 days was placed on two teenage boys from Pinecrest Cove Academy in Miami when the school teachers and administrations first learned about the claims of illegal creation and distribution of fake nude images of minor students without their consent. When the parents of the victims were informed about the news. Many started publicly calling on the school to expel the boys from the premises. According to the records obtained by WIRED, it was revealed that the arrest was placed on December 6, 2023, and the guilty boys were officially arrested on December 22.
The accusations placed on the boys were “misuse of Artificial Intelligence application for creating fake nude images without consent.” The name of the AI application used for creating explicit images was not specified by the police, and the reports stated that the pictures were shared with each other.
The reports suggest the person who reported the incident to the school administrator isn’t yet specified, nor is how the identifier found the images. After obtaining copies of the fake nude images from the school administrator the victims were interviewed by the authorities regarding the images generated. It was found that the students didn’t consent to the generation of the explicit images.
The students arrested were shifted to the Juvenile Service Department. There are certain laws created on the books regarding the generation of fake and non-consensual explicit image creation. Even though there was not any federal law targeting the act, a group of US senators introduced a bill to fight such matters after the nude images of popular singer Taylor Swift were created and shared at an extensive level on the X platform (formerly Twitter).
The arrested boys were charged under the Florida law which was passed back in 2022 that state legislators designed to curb harassment involving deepfake images made using AI-powered tools.
The lawyer representing the victims in this case Stephanie Cagnet Myron stated that creating and distributing non-consensually nude images of underage students should be held in possession of the child sexual abuse material or CSAM. However, she also stated that one of the primary reasons why the boys were not held accused of CSAM possession was because they were minors.
Parents’ reaction to the non-consensual images created using the AI technology
One of the victims’ mothers, Nadia Khan-Roberts stated in an interview with NBC Miami, that the children have been massively affected by the incident. She also added, “Our daughters feel uncomfortable walking or sharing the same hallways with these boys who shared their explicit images.”
One of the victims also expressed their hardship regarding the incident in an interview with the TV Station and stated, “The entire incident makes me feel violated, like an advantage has been taken of me and I feel used.” The identity of the victim is not revealed to avoid any reputation damage of the victim.
Meanwhile, the parents of both the arrested boys refused to share any comments regarding the arrest of their children with the publication. In addition, the attorney assigned to the case also refused to share any comments regarding the case.
With AI nude image-making tools gaining massive recognition worldwide, alleged cases involving the creation and distribution of AI-generated fake nude images without consent have been on the rise with various high-profile incidents involving minors. No arrest reports have yet been disclosed regarding the cases reported at Washington’s Issaquah High School, New Jersey’s Westfield High School, and California’s Beverly Vista Middle School even though the police were informed about the incident and reports were filed. The Police opted to not press any charges regarding the case reported.
