They Dedicated Their Lives to Teaching. Then the Deepfakes Started
The deepfake epidemic in schools is affecting more than students. Four teachers tell WIRED about becoming targets of sexualized, AI-generated content—and how difficult it was to find accountability.
DeSantiago learned that one of his students created the deepfake image, which he reported to the assistant principal. The school promised to handle the issue, but the situation worsened as the image spread among other students. DeSantiago felt unsafe continuing his teaching at the middle school and decided to take a substitute assignment at the local high school. However, the problems persisted, and he still did not feel safe returning to the district this year.
Experts suggest that creating and sharing sexual images of a teacher in the workplace constitutes sexual harassment and could be dealt with by disciplining the student or moving the teacher to a different classroom. However, there is no clear guidance on how schools should respond to such incidents.
Another middle school teacher shared her experience with AI-generated content used to harass teachers. She had learned about an AI-generated account impersonating her, which depicted her engaging in sexual acts and performing stunts. The teacher reported the account to her principal, hoping it would stop, but the harassment continued through other means.
Written by urgent.news from Wired's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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