UK: a trades-college staff member says a student reported that a video showing her undressing, which appeared to be a manipulated version of an apparently real video of her talking with a student, was circulating among classmates; she stepped away from the class for weeks and says the atmosphere had chilled on her return

WIRED reports the account of a staff member at a UK college that trains students aged 16 to 19 in trades such as construction. Her job combines administrative duties such as taking attendance with a college-counsellor role, and she says she meets about 150 students individually each year. She says that this winter administrators told her that a student had filed a report claiming two videos were circulating among his classmates. One appeared to be real and showed her having a conversation with a student. The other, administrators said, appeared to be a manipulated version of the first, showing her taking her clothes off and dancing around in what was either underwear or a bikini. As a qualified youth worker she often discusses subjects students may be too embarrassed to raise with their parents, and she says she had several such conversations with the student she suspected of creating the video. The student denied it when questioned by administrators and soon dropped out. The college did not respond to WIRED's request for comment. She says the episode made her reflect on those conversations and question everything. The college gave her permission to step away from the class for a few weeks and took steps to educate students about the danger of creating or distributing deepfakes. She says the atmosphere had chilled when she returned; she still loves her work but says it has made her more cautious and vigilant. WIRED introduces the teachers it interviewed as alleging that their students made sexualised photos and videos of them, likely using AI. WIRED does not name the college or say where in the UK it is, gives no date beyond this winter, and reports no technical assessment of the video.

A manipulated video showing her undressing was reported to be circulating among students; she stepped away from the class for a few weeks, says the atmosphere had chilled on her return and that she is now more cautious with students (her account to WIRED).

Administrators questioned the student she suspected, who denied making the video and soon dropped out. The college gave her permission to step away from the class for a few weeks and took steps to educate students about the danger of creating or distributing deepfakes. The college did not respond to WIRED. No police, platform or legal action is reported.