One middle school girl in Louisiana has been expelled after a school doubled down on their punishment despite her reaction being spurred on by boys allegedly sharing AI-generated nude images with her face.
Following the development of image-based artificial intelligence it was only inevitable that it would be used for nefarious and unethical means, and that's why the US government was quick to implement a ban on use cases involving nonconsensual sexual images or revenge porn.
It becomes even more troubling when applied to children, and one Louisiana middle schooler was allegedly subject to horrific bullying as her fellow classmates shared nude images generated using AI.
Having clearly reached breaking point, she seemingly hit one of boys that kept showing and taunting her with the fake image, and she was subsequently expelled by Sixth Ward Middle School, who has since doubled down on their decision.
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As reported by the New York Times, the 13-year-old's family is now planning to sue the school for the way that they have treated their daughter, claiming that they not only failed to protect her from AI-based bullying but that they punished her solely as a result of the incident.
At a school board meeting on November 5 designed to discuss the girl's expulsion, her family's attorneys pointed out that she alerted the school to the harassment she was facing in an attempt to report it, and asked to phone her father, but the school turned her down and said that they didn't "need to get parents involved right now."
As a result, the bullying continued – with the specific focus of the abuse being that the nude image featuring her face had a particularly large "bush" – and the family's attorneys believe the school have 'failed' her.
"What is she supposed to do," questioned attorney Benjamin Comeaux, adding that "she reported it to the people who are supposed to protect her, but she was victimized."
Lafourche Parish County Sheriff's Office have revealed that one of the male students involved in the bullying has been charged with 10 counts of unlawful dissemination of images created by artificial intelligence, but these charges were only officially revealed five days after the school board meeting on November 10, despite being issued on September 15.
Matt Ory, one of the attorneys, also highlighted the impact of the expulsion and bullying on the child, illustrating that "this is how kids become suicidal. This, right here, and you guys are saying it's OK.
"She asked for help. Not once, not twice. She is the victim. And now you took her out of school and suspended her? Excuse me, expelled her?"
The school has since claimed that they were unable to locate the image that was allegedly generated and used to bully the 13-year-old, but the family's attorneys have claimed that it was shared on Snapchat, and therefore was only available for a short period of time.
The girl's father has also revealed that her grades have "plummeted" as a result of the expulsion, adding that she "went through a depression and gave up," but has added that "a suspension would have been perfectly fine with me and I would've never said anything because I always believe in accountability."