COOKVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A disturbing case of AI and sexually explicit deepfakes in a high school.
This is about the alleged distribution of these images at Cookeville High School ... and two teens have been arrested.
WATCH: Two teens arrested after AI-generated explicit deepfakes shared at Tenn. high school
Putnam County Sheriff Eddie Farris tells me last month the male teen students used an artificial intelligence program to create deepfake images -- in some cases using photos of fellow female students -- placing their faces on sexually explicit images ... and then posting them on social media.
Some were stored on one of the juveniles' phones and distributed.
As you might imagine, this is devastating for the victims.
A mother of one of the girls says she and her daughter closely monitor their social media content. It's frustrating that this happened ... and was very hard on her daughter.
"She didn't make any naked photos and it still happens ... with AI, we can't do anything. She wouldn't talk to me or anybody ... locked herself in her room. She wouldn't even talk to her friends."
Both teen suspects were charged with aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor and especially aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor.
I spoke with District Attorney Bryant Dunaway this morning.
He says the suspects will be prosecuted in juvenile court and hopes a lesson is learned.
Sheriff Farris added, "Technology continues to change, but the responsibility that comes with using it does not. Everyone needs to understand that inappropriately using Artificial Intelligence can have very serious implications."
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at nick.beres@newschannel5.com
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