AI Abuse Case Tests School Safeguards in Argentina

Police searched four homes in Lomas de Zamora on October 9, targeting four 15-year-old pupils accused of using artificial intelligence to create and sell fake nude images of female classmates at Colegio Modelo Lomas, south of Buenos Aires. Around 50 girls are believed to have been affected, with images reportedly involving students from the first to fifth years of secondary school. Investigators seized mobile phones, computers and a PlayStation console for forensic examination.

The investigation and the school response

Investigators are examining how far the alleged production and distribution of the images extended, whether others were involved, and the possible role of an adult who allegedly used a credit card to pay for the AI tool. It isn't clear whether that person knew how the tool was being used or took part in the alleged conduct.

The teenagers allegedly manipulated photographs to make classmates appear naked, shared the images among students and tried to sell them on adult-content websites. Families said the material circulated through WhatsApp groups. They described guides pairing photographs from the girls’ social media accounts with manipulated images showing them naked and bearing their real names.

Some images were allegedly shared with pupils at other schools and posted on pornography websites, the newspaper Perfil reported. Those claims remain allegations under investigation.

The four accused students must cease any harassment and stay away from the school while the investigation proceeds. School officials arranged for them to continue their education remotely via Zoom, keeping them out of in-person classes.

Families demand answers

Students and parents protested outside the school the previous week, demanding action and accusing the institution of failing to respond adequately. Families alleged that school authorities had known about the situation for about a month without informing parents. Some students also alleged they were told not to discuss it. Those allegations haven't been independently established.

Parents met school officials and education inspectors. Families also filed a collective complaint with the juvenile criminal responsibility prosecutor’s office. The reported allegations about the school’s prior knowledge and the students’ claims about being told not to speak haven't been independently established.

Other cases involving AI-generated images

The report placed the Lomas de Zamora case alongside other incidents in Argentina involving accusations that students used AI to generate sexual images of classmates without consent. At the private Escuela Thomas Alva Edison in Ituzaingó, Buenos Aires Province, four students aged 15 to 16 were accused the previous week of creating and selling fake nude images of female classmates. A seven-year-old pupil in the school’s primary section was also allegedly targeted.

That case reportedly came to light after one student alerted authorities following a dispute over how money earned from the images was divided. The school said it had activated safeguarding protocols, contacted families and barred the students involved from attending classes. Juvenile prosecutors in Morón are investigating.

In July, allegations emerged involving pupils at the Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires and the Escuela Superior de Comercio Carlos Pellegrini, two secondary schools run by the University of Buenos Aires. Students were accused of creating and circulating manipulated images of classmates, with some material reportedly offered for sale. The allegations prompted student protests, and some pupils were suspended.

A separate investigation in Santa Fe Province in September focused on a 14-year-old boy accused of using AI to create and distribute fake nude images of six female classmates. The incidents have raised concerns about readily available AI tools used to generate sexual images of minors, the rapid circulation of the material and schools’ challenges in protecting students from digital sexual abuse.