Sydney school student creates deepfake pornography of female classmates using AI
A year 12 male student in Sydney reportedly used artificial intelligence to create explicit deepfake images of female classmates by manipulating photos from social media, and distributed them through fake social media profiles. Police launched an investigation on 6 January 2025, and the student faces school disciplinary action.
What happened
A year 12 male student at a school in Sydney's southwest allegedly used artificial intelligence to create explicit deepfake images of female classmates by manipulating photos taken from social media and school events.
The student also reportedly created fake social media profiles to distribute the deepfake images online.
Reported impact
Parents and students were notified of the incident via email from the Department of Education, which confirmed that innocent photos from social media and school events had been used without consent.
The Department of Education provided wellbeing support to affected students.
Index analysis
NSW Police launched an investigation on 6 January 2025 following reports of inappropriate images being produced and distributed online.
The NSW Police, eSafety Commissioner, and Department of Education worked together on the investigation.
Governance controls
NSW Minister for Education Prue Car announced the student would face serious disciplinary action.
Australia's Criminal Code Amendment Deepfake Sexual Material Bill 2024, introduced in June 2024, criminalises non-consensual sharing of sexually explicit material including deepfakes, with penalties of up to six years imprisonment for sharing and up to seven years for creation and sharing of such content.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.