Two 14-year-old students in Edmonton are facing serious criminal charges after allegedly using artificial intelligence technology to create sexually explicit images of their female classmates, authorities announced Wednesday.
Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) says the teens used photos obtained without permission—some taken covertly at school and others scraped from social media accounts—and manipulated them with AI software to produce child sexual exploitation material.
A Growing Threat in Schools
The investigation began in March after a teacher reported complaints from students. ALERT's Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit, working alongside Edmonton Police Service and the Zebra Child & Youth Advocacy Centre, has been examining the evidence ever since.
Staff Sergeant Alison Church of ALERT's ICE unit confirmed that while some victims were aware photos had been taken of them in public spaces around the school, none consented to having their images digitally altered and sexualized.
"Some of the girls knew pictures were being taken, but they certainly didn't consent to what was done with those photos," Church said during a Wednesday news conference.
The two accused have been charged with making and possessing child sexual abuse material, as well as voyeurism offences. Police are withholding their names and the school's identity to protect victims.
Victims Support Available
The Saffron Centre, a specialized facility supporting survivors of sexual assault, has been providing counselling to the affected students and continues to offer resources for those impacted by the incident.
Church noted that investigators have not disclosed which specific AI application was used to create the images, though she acknowledged that while some apps are custom-engineered for abusive purposes, many mainstream AI tools can be misused in similar ways.
The number of victims could be in the "double digits," according to investigators, though a complete forensic review is still underway. Police say the manipulated images were shared between the two teens, but knowledge of their existence eventually spread throughout the student body.
A Warning for Parents and Schools
"Sadly, this is a reality of the challenges that youth, parents and police are facing with advancements in technology," Church stated, underscoring growing concerns about AI misuse among young people.
The case highlights how accessible AI tools have become for creating non-consensual sexual imagery—a crime that has seen a sharp increase across Canada in recent years. Experts warn that both schools and parents need to have frank conversations with young people about digital ethics, consent, and the legal consequences of creating or sharing such material.
This story is based on reporting from CBC Calgary.