Two NWT youths face charges after generating images with AI in which other children “appear nude,” RCMP in the territory say.
In a Thursday news release, police said the youths had “obtained social media photos” of other students then used artificial intelligence to alter them.
Nobody involved can be identified by law. The community or communities in question were not specified.
The two are charged with making, possessing and transmitting child sexual abuse and exploitation material.
Multiple parents had been in touch with Cabin Radio prior to Thursday’s police press release, describing the anxiety their children felt about the possibility of being targeted.
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Each family requested anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter in which children feared they might be next.
Two families with children at one NWT school described a fear that at least one student had a “hit list” of others they intended to target with AI-generated images.
As Thursday’s RCMP press release cannot legally identify those involved, it’s not possible to be certain that the arrests described relate to the same incidents.
The two youths charged have been released subject to conditions, RCMP stated.
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According to police, child sexual abuse and exploitation material – sometimes referred to as child pornography – is defined “broadly to include any visual material that depicts nudity for a sexual purpose or describes sexual activity involving a person under the age of 18, or that is depicted as being of a person under 18.”
“The law includes material produced through photography, videography, illustration, or computer-generated imagery – including images and videos created or altered using AI,” RCMP stated.
“This material normalizes the sexual exploitation of children, fuels demand for actual abuse and contributes to a range of broader harm. The law is designed to address that harm regardless of how the material was produced.”
Police said their investigation is ongoing and anyone with “information on offences of this nature” should contact their local detachment.
