They Dedicated Their Lives to Teaching. Then the Deepfakes Started
wired ·
The article reports on how teachers are increasingly becoming targets of sexualized AI-generated deepfakes created and circulated by their own students. WIRED interviewed four educators, including substitute teacher Luis DeSantiago, whose manipulated photo was shared on TikTok and Snapchat, and a middle school teacher who faced a fake TikTok account impersonating her. A UK college counselor named Alice had a video of her altered to appear nude, while Arizona teacher Luke Red was depicted kissing another male teacher in an AI image. The article notes that such content may constitute cyberstalking and sexual harassment, but schools often lack clear protocols, and discipline for students is limited. The teachers describe profound emotional distress, eroded trust in students, and a more cautious approach to their work. Some victims also struggled to get platforms to remove the content, while students often seemed unaware of the harm caused.
wired