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Italian administrative court upholds Genoa university's dismissal of a lecturer who made sexualised images of six students, reportedly with AI

In 2024 an associate professor at the University of Genoa took photos from the social-media profiles of six students, turned them into sexual images and shared them in Telegram chats. According to la Repubblica's October 2024 report, Genoa prosecutors accused him of 'undressing' the photos with apps that use artificial intelligence; the investigation began on 1 October 2024 after the rector's complaint, the postal police searched his office and home, and he was suspended. The university later dismissed him. According to Open and Fanpage, which report the judgment, the regional administrative court for Liguria (TAR) rejected his appeal against the dismissal in September 2026, citing a search record that found sexual virtual images on his computer matching those posted, and his interrogation, in which he admitted posting the images and creating them with software. The court found the repeated conduct harmful to the students' dignity and to the university. The criminal case, for aggravated defamation, was closed; the lecturer paid the students compensation. The tool used is not identified.

AI system
Unidentified image tool
Occurred
2024
Reported
25 October 2024
Event location
Italy
What the AI did
Depicted or impersonated the person
Reported harm
Exploitation or AbuseReputational Harm
Whose AI use
Someone else’s AI use
Setting
Education · Privacy · Justice · Work
Evidence
AI involvement reported · Causal attribution supported · 4 sources, 2 underlying accounts
4 claims: 4 reported. 6 open questions
People reported harmed
At least 6 people

AI system as recorded: An unidentified AI app or bot used to 'undress' photos, according to the prosecution's accusation as reported by la Repubblica and the investigation evidence described by Fanpage; the lecturer admitted creating the images with software

What Happened

The images. According to la Repubblica (25 October 2024), the Genoa prosecutor's accusation was that an associate professor took photos from some students' social-media profiles, 'undressed' them with apps that use artificial intelligence and forwarded them to a Telegram group where sexual images are exchanged. GenovaToday, citing Repubblica and Il Secolo XIX, reported at least six students, an investigation opened on 1 October 2024 after a complaint by the rector, a search of the lecturer's office and home by the postal police about ten days later, and his immediate suspension. Fanpage reports that, according to the investigation, the images were made with an unspecified artificial intelligence, probably a bot, and that it was never established for whom the images were intended.

The judgment. Open and Fanpage (18 September 2026) report that the TAR Liguria rejected the lecturer's appeal against his dismissal. As reported, the judgment relies on the disciplinary board's report and the criminal investigation file, including the images and chat transcripts, a search record stating that sexual virtual images corresponding to those posted on social media were found on his computer, and the interrogation record in which he admitted accessing the social profiles, posting the images and creating them with software. The court found the repeated conduct harmful to the students' dignity, freedom and safety and to the university, and serious enough that no lesser penalty than dismissal was possible. According to Open, the closure of the criminal case did not affect the university's disciplinary decision.

The students. The six students received compensation from the lecturer. Open says they followed a psychological support programme; Fanpage instead says the lecturer did, so the record does not state who received that support.

Reported harm

According to the prosecution's accusation and the administrative court's judgment as reported, a university lecturer turned six students' social-media photos into sexual images, reportedly with an AI app, and shared them in Telegram chats; the court found the conduct harmful to their dignity, and the lecturer paid them compensation.

Outcome

Resolved

The rector reported the matter and suspended the lecturer in October 2024, and the postal police searched his office and home. The criminal case for aggravated defamation, which later became prosecutable only on the victims' complaint, was closed, and the lecturer paid the six students compensation. The University of Genoa dismissed him ('destituzione dal servizio') after a disciplinary board report, and the TAR Liguria rejected his appeal, a judgment reported on 18 September 2026; according to Open, he keeps his pension rights. Whether the judgment is under appeal was not reported.

What remains unknown

  • Which AI app or bot was used; the judgment as relayed says only 'software'.
  • Exactly when in 2024 the images were made and shared.
  • Whether one of the students was a minor (a 2024 headline says so; its body was not readable).
  • Who received psychological support: Open says the six students did, Fanpage says the lecturer did.
  • The date and number of the TAR judgment and whether it has been appealed.
  • How the criminal case was closed (the charge became prosecutable only on complaint).

What the evidence supports

AI involvement: reported. According to la Repubblica, Genoa prosecutors accused the lecturer of 'undressing' the students' photos with apps that use artificial intelligence; Fanpage reports that the investigation pointed to an unspecified AI, probably a bot. As reported from the administrative court's judgment, a search found sexual virtual images matching those posted on his computer and he admitted creating them with software. The generated images depicting the students are the harm. The tool is not named and the judgment, as relayed, says only 'software'; the judgment itself was not read.

4 claims: 4 reported. What the statuses mean

Reported In 2024 the Genoa prosecutor's office accused an associate professor at the University of Genoa of taking photos from students' social-media profiles, 'undressing' them with apps that use artificial intelligence and forwarding them to a Telegram group; the investigation began on 1 October 2024 after the rector's complaint, the postal police searched his office and home, and he was suspended.

Causal attribution. The AI attribution is the prosecution's accusation as reported by la Repubblica; GenovaToday relays Repubblica and Il Secolo XIX.

  • genova.repubblica.it(opens in new tab) supports · Italian
    'L’accusa della Procura di Genova nei confronti di un “associato” subito sospeso dal rettore.'; 'Poi le “spogliava” con le app che sfruttano l’intelligenza artificiale. E alla fine le inoltrava su un gruppo Telegram'
  • genovatoday.it(opens in new tab) supports · Italian
    'L’indagine, secondo quanto riportano i quotidiani, è partita il 1 ottobre dopo l’esposto del rettore'; 'la polizia postale ha perquisito l’ufficio e l’abitazione del docente, sospeso subito dall’incarico.'
Reported According to the administrative court's judgment as reported, the lecturer took photos of six students from their social profiles, turned them into sexual images and shared them on Telegram; a search found sexual virtual images matching those posted on his computer, and in interrogation he admitted posting the images and creating them with software.

Causal attribution. Both articles report the same judgment, so they are one origin; the AI description comes from the investigation and the outlets, and the admission as relayed names only 'software'.

  • fanpage.it(opens in new tab) supports · Italian
    'il professore rubava le foto dai social e le modificava con una non meglio specificata intelligenza artificiale. Probabilmente un bot, stando alle evidenze dell'inchiesta'; 'nel computer del docente erano state rinvenute immagini virtuali sessuali corrispondenti a quelle postate sui social. Nel verbale dell'interrogatorio, inoltre, il professore aveva ammesso di aver postato le foto contestate e di averle create con un software.'
  • open.online(opens in new tab) supports · Italian
    'aveva “spogliato” con l’intelligenza artificiale le foto di sei studentesse e le aveva condivise su Telegram'; 'Nonché di averle create virtualmente con un software'
Reported The University of Genoa dismissed the lecturer, and the TAR Liguria rejected his appeal, finding repeated conduct harmful to the students' dignity and to the university, serious enough that no lesser penalty than dismissal was possible.

Causal attribution. The dismissal and the court's reasoning are reported from the judgment; the judgment itself was not read.

  • fanpage.it(opens in new tab) supports · Italian
    'Il Tar ha respinto il ricorso del docente dell’Università di Genova che ha spogliato sei studentesse con l’intelligenza artificiale.'
  • open.online(opens in new tab) supports · Italian
    'il cui ricorso è stato respinto dai giudici del Tar che ha riconosciuto il «comportamento reiterato e lesivo della sua dignità e onore. Di gravità tale da non consentire l’irrogazione di una sanzione meno afflittiva della destituzione dal servizio»'; 'lesivo della dignità, della libertà, della sicurezza delle studentesse coinvolte'
Reported The lecturer was accused of aggravated defamation; the criminal case was closed and he paid the six students compensation.

Causal attribution. Reported by both outlets from the same judgment account.

  • open.online(opens in new tab) supports · Italian
    'Il docente era stato accusato di diffamazione aggravata.'; 'Le vittime sono state risarcite, ma a inchiesta penale chiusa è stato l’Ateneo ad avere l’ultima parola'
  • fanpage.it(opens in new tab) supports · Italian
    'Dal punto di vista legale, ha dovuto risarcire le vittime.'

Sources

4 sources inspected, from 2 underlying accounts. Sources that repeat one account do not corroborate each other.

How the sources were read, and where the events happened

Read in Italian on 2026-10-24; quoted passages were translated into English by the research agent (an AI), not by a human translator. Fanpage returned HTTP 403 to the fetcher; read in full through a Wayback Machine capture (web.archive.org/web/2026id_/..., HTTP 200). Reports the TAR judgment and the investigation evidence. Applies to s1.

Read in Italian on 2026-10-24; quoted passages were translated into English by the research agent (an AI), not by a human translator. Open returned HTTP 403; read in full through a Wayback Machine capture (HTTP 200). It reports the judgment 'come riporta Repubblica', so it shares the judgment group. Applies to s2.

Read in Italian on 2026-10-24; quoted passages were translated into English by the research agent (an AI), not by a human translator. la Repubblica Genova (HTTP 200); the page is paywalled and only the headline, standfirst and the opening of the JSON-LD article body were read. Applies to s3.

Read in Italian on 2026-10-24; quoted passages were translated into English by the research agent (an AI), not by a human translator. GenovaToday (HTTP 200), which cites Repubblica and Il Secolo XIX for the account, so it shares their group. The page gives the lecturer's initials, which the record does not reproduce. Applies to s4.

Event countries: Italy. Affected-person countries: Italy. Court countries: Italy.

The investigation was opened by the Genoa prosecutor's office after the University of Genoa rector's complaint, the students were students of that university, and the TAR Liguria (an Italian regional administrative court) decided the appeal.

Reviewed for publication 2026-10-24: Six students were depicted in sexual images made from their social-media photos and shared on Telegram. The AI attribution rests on the Genoa prosecutor's accusation as reported by la Repubblica and on the investigation evidence and the lecturer's admission of creating the images with software as reported from the administrative court's judgment. The university's dismissal and the court's rejection of his appeal are the institutional outcome. The tool is unidentified and the judgment was read only through press reports.

People described

Six students at the University of Genoa whose social-media photos were turned into sexual images and shared on Telegram (none named)

People reported harmed in this case

At least 6 people

0 AI participants · 6 other people harmed

Open and Fanpage, reporting the 2026 judgment, give six students ('sei studentesse'); GenovaToday in 2024 said 'almeno sei' (at least six). Six is recorded as a documented minimum. A headline about a minor among the students was not read and is not used. The lecturer is not counted.

Counted once within this case. The same person may appear in other cases. This count does not establish AI causation.

Tags

#deepfake-sexual-imagery#university#telegram#dismissal#administrative-court#italy

Cite this case

Compiled per our published methodology: verification statuses, sourcing standards, and corrections process.

APA

NOPE. (2026). Italian administrative court upholds Genoa university's dismissal of a lecturer who made sexualised images of six students, reportedly with AI. AI incidents. https://nope.net/incidents/2024-genoa-university-lecturer-ai-undressed-images-of-six-students-dismissal-upheld-by-administrative-court

BibTeX

@misc{2024_genoa_university_lecturer_ai_undressed_images_of_six_students_dismissal_upheld_by_administrative_court,
  title = {Italian administrative court upholds Genoa university's dismissal of a lecturer who made sexualised images of six students, reportedly with AI},
  author = {NOPE},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {AI incidents},
  url = {https://nope.net/incidents/2024-genoa-university-lecturer-ai-undressed-images-of-six-students-dismissal-upheld-by-administrative-court}
}

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