They Dedicated Their Lives to Teaching. Then the Deepfakes Started
Educators are increasingly becoming victims of AI-generated deepfake sexual imagery created by their own students. These incidents have caused significant emotional distress and forced teachers to reconsider their professional relationships and safety.
Why it matters
This highlights the growing crisis of AI misuse in schools and the urgent need for policies addressing digital harassment and student accountability.
At first, DeSantiago wasn’t worried—he figured that inappropriate photos violated TikTok’s community guidelines and were usually quickly removed.
“When I finally saw the image, that’s when it felt like a punch to the gut,” DeSantiago tells WIRED. Parts of it resembled a mirror selfie that he remembered taking at a job in college. But instead of his work uniform, he was wearing lingerie. And instead of standing normally, as he had been in the original photo, he was posing suggestively.
The texts kicked off a monthslong saga that crossed two schools and involved students and administrators. And DeSantiago is far from the only educator who’s been victimized this way.
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