the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, with the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI), students are discovering new, harmful ways to misuse this technology, creating a fresh wave of bullying that schools and the law are ill-equipped to handle.
The Rise of AI-Driven Bullying
Educators are increasingly horrified by the rise of deepfake sexual images, sham voice recordings, and fabricated videos targeting students. These AI-generated tools pose significant threats, and advocates are urgently calling for action to address the legal and policy gaps that leave victims unprotected.
“We need to keep up and support educators, parents, and families in understanding the complexities of these situations,” said Pati Ruiz, senior director of education technology at Digital Promise. “We must help students learn to empathize and make ethical decisions about using AI.”
Case Studies of AI Abuse
The misuse of AI in schools has already led to serious incidents. At Westfield High School in New Jersey, male students used AI to create sexually explicit images of their female classmates without consent. Dorota Mani, whose daughter was targeted, expressed her distress to CNN: “It was boys or a boy who created inappropriate images without the girls’ consent.”
In another alarming case in Pennsylvania, a mother allegedly created AI images of her daughter’s cheerleading rivals, showing them naked and drinking at a party. These images were then sent to the coach, leading to severe consequences for the victims, including suspensions.
“Schools are struggling to respond to these new and vicious uses of AI,” said Claudio Cerullo, founder of TeachAntiBullying.org. In Pennsylvania, the school had to involve the police to determine the images were fake.
Challenges for Schools and Law Enforcement
Even experts are grappling with the destructive potential of AI in the school environment. Cerullo, who also serves on Vice President Harris’s task force on cyberbullying, highlighted the increased risk of suicide among teens due to cyberbullying and the urgent need for new policies.
Law enforcement faces similar challenges. The Federal Trade Commission proposed new protections against AI impersonations, and the Department of Justice created an artificial intelligence officer position to better understand the technology. Additionally, a bipartisan group of lawmakers, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, released a report on AI issues Congress needs to address, including deepfakes.
“This is sexual violence,” stated Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who has personally been a victim of deepfake pornography. She promoted the bipartisan Defiance Act, introduced in March, which would create a federal civil right of action for victims of nonconsensual AI porn.
Addressing AI Misuse Among Minors
The situation becomes more complex when considering minors. Alex Kotran, co-founder and CEO of the AI Education Project, emphasized the need for education alongside enforcement. “We have to set clear societal norms and teach kids about the gravity of creating and distributing AI-generated content,” he said.
Schools must balance addressing AI misuse with concerns about over-surveillance. “We need to focus on ethics, responsible technology use, and protecting student data and privacy while managing cyberbullying risks,” Ruiz said.
The Broader Impact of AI on Students
While deepfake images have gained the most attention, they are not the only risk AI poses in schools. An athletic director in Maryland used an AI-generated voice recording to falsely portray a principal as racist, demonstrating how deepfakes can be weaponized in various ways.
Kotran warned that the technology could lead to a future where students are afraid to share any images online. “We need to address this challenge to protect kids’ mental well-being,” he said. “This is no longer a future threat but a present danger.”
As AI continues to evolve, it is crucial for educators, parents, policymakers, and tech experts to collaborate in developing strategies to safeguard students and promote ethical technology use.
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The concern is how people can be upset over something that’s not real. Remember when they used to mock those primitives who thought Polaroids were stealing their souls?