Francesca Mani, a 14-year-old freshman at Westfield High School in New Jersey, was called to the school’s main office on Oct. 20 and received frightening news.
The principal of the public secondary school informed Ms. Mani that a classmate had allegedly used artificial intelligence (AI) to take photos of her and her classmates’ faces, and incorporated them into explicit images shared online by him and other boys.
Ms. Mani learned that students reported the images to the school that same day and that the images had been posted online the previous summer.
The incident is part of the disturbing and rapidly expanding realm of AI, specifically the nonconsensual use of deepfake technology to superimpose individuals’ faces onto nude bodies, often portraying them in explicit sexual situations. The deepfake images often look authentic.
On the Offense
The Westfield High School perpetrators would soon realize that they were facing strong and determined opposition from Ms. Mani and her mother, Dorota Mani.After receiving the upsetting news from her principal, Ms. Mani texted her mother, a native of Poland who owns and operates a preschool.
“I immediately called the school, and left messages for the administration,” Mrs. Mani told The Epoch Times. “I received calls later that day from the principal, vice principal, and a guidance counselor. After the calls from the administrators, I received an email that the principal sent to all the Westfield High parents.”
When her daughter came home that day, she had already decided not to remain a silent and suffering victim. She expressed her sadness and anger to her mother, emphasizing the need to take action to protect herself and others and to hold those responsible legally accountable.
Mrs. Mani attended a November meeting of the Westfield Public Schools board to urge that the school district update its cyber harassment policies.
“The policies in place had terms like Walkman and pager,” said Mrs. Mani.
She says that the Westfield school system and school board have not been transparent in handling the issue and that there has been a lack of forthright communication from both groups.
“The principal and vice principal told me that one boy made the images and that he was gone from the school,” said Mrs. Mani. “But the email from the principal said that multiple students were involved in creating the images, and then I find out that the boy who I was told was no longer at the school had received a two-day suspension and was back at school.”
Mrs. Mani said that the Westfield High vice principal told her not to worry because the images were deleted.
Taking Their Cause Nationally
Ms. Mani, now 15, and her mother are on an exhausting tour, conducting media interviews and meeting with lawmakers and government officials. They want to educate parents, caregivers, and children about the dangers of deepfake technology. They also want schools, and government at the local, state, and federal levels, to be held to task.On Jan. 16, the pair were in Washington, lobbying members of Congress to draft and pass the first federal bipartisan legislation that would make it illegal to produce and distribute AI-generated nude photos of a person without consent.
They also have a meeting scheduled with Cailin Crockett, a senior advisor to the White House Gender Policy Council, who leads efforts to combat technology-enabled gender violence.
“This is a very complex and multilayered issue, and in this case, it is the darker side of the issue. Here we had a few boys who decided to make fun of the girls, and at the expense of the girls,” Mrs. Mani said. “We are seeing more of this, kids are using deepfake AI to victimize schoolmates and staff.”
Mrs. Mani mentioned a case in Wisconsin in early October involving a global scheme that used AI to blackmail and exploit girls. In Muskego, Wisconsin, at least 10 middle school girls were tricked by a 33-year-old man, posing as a 15-year-old boy online, who befriended them on Snapchat.
He convinced one girl to share an innocent photo of herself with him. The man then revealed his real age and said that if she did not send him explicit photos, he would take the photo she shared and use AI to create a pornographic image of her that he would distribute online, including to her family and friends.
Law enforcement became involved but no deepfake images of the girl have been found and the predator has not been caught.
‘Tool for Predators’
Ms. Mani urged progress on the ‘Preventing Deepfakes of Intimate Images Act,’ which Mr. Morelle filed in May 2023 and which was subsequently referred to the House Judiciary Committee, where it remains.
“I’m not here by choice; you know, discussing legislation isn’t exactly my ideal way to have fun on Tuesday afternoon,” she said. “But I know my voice matters. Without Congressman Morelle’s bill, we’ll continue to have teens making AI deepfake nude images of girls. Apparently, it’s more entertaining than any video game.”
Ms. Mani added: “But AI’s not just a toy for bored teens; it’s also a tool for predators. That’s really not okay … It’s pretty black and white: creating AI nudes without consent should be illegal and it’s not okay. It’s the adults’ job to protect us with laws and our job to learn how to protect ourselves by protecting our image.”
Ms. Mani also addressed the benefits and positive potential of AI for society and humanity.
“It’s important to recognize that AI is not inherently bad,” said Ms. Mani. “It’s a fascinating and rapidly advancing technology that has been significantly benefitting society in the healthcare arena.
“It’s crucial, however, that we approach AI with a balanced perspective … If we get the right laws in place and learn about AI in schools, we can totally tap into the benefits of AI without getting burned.”
‘Great Deal of Concern’
Mary Ann McGann, coordinator for school and community relations at Westfield Public Schools, told The Epoch Times: “We aren’t able to provide specific details on the number of students involved and any disciplined and any disciplinary actions imposed, as matters involving students are confidential.“However, the number of affected students [in] our investigation was far fewer than the 30 being reported by some media outlets.”
Westfield Public Schools confirmed that it was made aware of the images on Oct. 20.
“Recognizing the gravity of the situation, the high school conducted an immediate investigation, based on the district’s Student Code of Conduct. The Westfield Police Department and WHS [Westfield High School] school resource officer were immediately notified and consulted throughout the investigation.”
In her email to the parents of Westfield High School students, the school’s principal, Ms. Asfendis, wrote: “Earlier today, students brought to our attention that some of our students had used Artificial Intelligence to create pornographic images from original photos.”
Ms. Asfendis said there was a “great deal of concern” among students wondering if their faces had been used in the explicit imagery, but she assured parents that the school believed any “any created images have been deleted and are not being circulated.”
Continuing the Fight
Mrs. Mani continues to emphasize the need for more accountability and better communication from Westfield Public Schools.“I reached out personally to the principal of the high school and the Westfield school board, and I have received little response,” said Mrs. Mani.
“And as for the lack of effective of cyber and AI policies, it doesn’t look like the school district is concerned about updating those policies,” said Mrs. Mani. “There were multiple girls affected in this incident and the school confirmed that they were the victims by announcing their full names—their first and last names—on the intercom and calling them to the office so they could be informed of what happened.
“But the boys involved? The principal and vice principal quietly took them out of their classrooms and then interviewed them without their parents being present.”
She claims that schools are focusing on themselves and not the students.
“It’s time for us to start protecting our children instead of the good name of [the] institution,” said Mrs. Mani. “You know, I’ve reached out to many parents who went through instances similar to what we experienced. Some of them were more advanced and scarier. But the outcome is the same.
“The schools are trying to pretend that it will go away, and let’s just keep it quiet. Let’s hush hush. That’s unacceptable.”
Mrs. Mani said that as a mother and an educator, she believes that “the principal and the board members of my district should be standing right next to me and fighting for this issue together.”
She is immensely proud of how her daughter responded and continues to respond to the scary invasion of privacy.
Keeping Children Safe
Yaron Litwin, digital safety expert and chief marketing officer for Canopy, told The Epoch Times: “Unfortunately, this is not a stand-alone incident; we are seeing more of this. AI nudes are also being used for sextortion, which is the practice of extorting money or sexual favors from someone by threatening to reveal evidence of their sexual activity, such as imagery or information.”
“There is real concern here that without proper legislation we will see more and more abuse and, in some cases, these actions can lead to self-harm or suicide.”
Mr. Litwin provided steps that parents can take to keep their children safe online and protect them from predators.
“Parents should foster open communication with their children, sharing digital risks and dangers of sharing images online with strangers. They should help create an environment where children are aware of these horrors but feel comfortable coming to their parents if need be.”
Mr. Litwin said that parents can also use technology resources that “use AI and machine learning to block inappropriate content and filter out online dangers.”
