Schoolboy, 17, investigated on suspicion of using AI to make deepfake nudes of his female classmates
The investigation began after 16 young women, all students at an educational institute in Valencia, southeastern Spain, reported disturbing incidents of AI-generated sexual images of themselves circulating on social media.
The images showed the minors naked and were allegedly being sold to others.
The first complaint was lodged in December, when a teenage girl informed police that an account had been created under her name, with AI-generated videos and images depicting her in a compromising position.
'Photos of various people, all of them minors, appeared on this account. All these photos had been modified from the originals, which had been manipulated so that the people in them appeared completely naked,' the Spanish Civil Guard said in a statement.
The suspect, a 17-year-old boy, is now facing investigation for the alleged corruption of minors.
Authorities are continuing to gather evidence to determine whether he is responsible for creating and distributing the explicit images.
This alarming case comes at a time when AI-driven sexual exploitation is on the rise, particularly among minors.
Spain is no stranger to this phenomenon. In 2023, a similar case in Extremadura saw 15 minors investigated for using AI to create explicit images of their female schoolmates. The offenders were later sentenced to probation.
The deepfake issue is not confined to Spain. Celebrities around the world, including pop stars like Taylor Swift and politicians like US Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, have fallen victim to AI-generated pornography.
In the UK, more than 250 British celebrities were targeted by a Channel 4 investigation that exposed how their faces were superimposed onto explicit videos using AI.
Although the Spanish government pledged in March 2023 to introduce laws to criminalise the creation of AI-generated sexual content without consent, the bill has yet to be passed by parliament.
Currently, cases like these often fall into legal limbo, with existing laws not explicitly addressing the issue of AI-manipulated imagery.
In the UK, however, the Online Safety Act 2023 has criminalised the sharing of explicit deepfake content without consent.
Offenders who create or share such material maliciously now face criminal charges, with the possibility of imprisonment and unlimited fines.
'It is unacceptable that one in three women have been victims of online abuse. This demeaning and disgusting form of chauvinism must not become normalised,' said Victims Minister Alex Davies-Jones.
'We are bearing down on violence against women – whatever form it takes.'
Baroness Jones, the UK's Technology Minister, also condemned the rise in intimate image abuse, saying: 'The rise of intimate image abuse is a horrifying trend that exploits victims and perpetuates a toxic online culture.
'These acts are not just cowardly, they are deeply damaging, particularly for women and girls who are disproportionately targeted.'
The rapid development of AI technology has made it easier than ever for perpetrators to create and distribute explicit images without the knowledge or consent of the victims.
With new cases emerging, there are growing calls for stricter legislation worldwide to keep pace with this emerging threat.
Tech companies are also under increasing pressure to remove deepfake content from their platforms and take stronger measures to prevent its creation and distribution.
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