{"meta":{"exportedAt":"2026-10-24T02:34:25.045Z","formatVersion":2,"selection":{"q":"schools","system":"","harm":"","context":"","country":"","role":"","relation":"","evidence":"","year":"unknown","response":"minors","severity":"","verification":"","view":"incidents","sort":"added"},"totalIncidents":4,"coverage":{"cases":4,"countries":2,"languages":1,"unknownLocation":0,"locationPending":0,"unknownLanguage":0,"unknownDate":4,"lawsuits":0,"regulatory":1,"minors":4,"coreRelations":4,"contextualRelations":0,"mixedRelations":0,"unknownRelations":0,"relationPending":0,"relationUnknown":0},"countingNote":"Distinct public cases in this selection. People counts apply within individual cases only; cross-case person overlap has not been resolved. No population incidence estimate.","affectedCountNote":"Interpret person counts with affectedCountStatus and the reported effects. Unquantified zeros are placeholders, not a measured zero.","source":"AI incidents","publisher":"NOPE","url":"https://nope.net/incidents","license":"CC BY 4.0"},"incidents":[{"id":"2024-beverly-hills-california-school-district-expels-five-middle-school-pupils-over-ai-made-nude-images-of-16-classmates","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'were made aware of the “AI-generated nude photos” of students last week, the district superintendent said in a letter to parents. The superintendent told NBC News the photos included students’ faces superimposed onto nude bodies. The district did not share how it determined the photos were produced with artificial intelligence.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The superintendent told parents that school officials had been made aware of AI-generated nude photos of students the previous week and told NBC News the photos included students' faces superimposed onto nude bodies; the district did not say how it determined the photos were produced with AI.","causal_attribution":"The district attributes the images to AI without disclosing its basis."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'who authorities say used artificial intelligence tools to create the images and share them with other students.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"A Beverly Hills deputy city manager said police were investigating pupils who authorities said used artificial intelligence tools to create the images and share them with other students.","causal_attribution":"City official's statement attributing the images to AI use by pupils."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The Beverly Hills Unified School District voted this week to confirm the expulsion of five middle school students' and 'The five students and their victims were in the eighth grade, according to the school district. Sixteen students were targeted,' and 'No arrests have been made and no charges have been brought.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"The school board confirmed the expulsion of five eighth-grade pupils in March 2024; the superintendent said 16 students were targeted, and as of that report no arrests had been made and no charges brought.","causal_attribution":"Disciplinary outcome and count as stated by the district."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Students and parents told NBC News they were afraid to go to school or send their children to school after the incident,'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Students and parents told NBC News they were afraid to go to school or send their children to school after the incident.","causal_attribution":"Reported distress following the circulation of the images."}],"effects":[{"label":"16 pupils depicted in AI-made nude images shared among students, according to the district","claim_id":"c3","direction":"negative"},{"label":"students afraid to go to school","claim_id":"c4","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/misinformation/beverly-vista-hills-middle-school-ai-images-deepfakes-rcna140775","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-22 (HTTP 200). Published 27 February 2024; reports the superintendent letter and a police lieutenant.","independence_group":"bhusd-superintendent-letter-and-statements-feb-2024"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/beverly-hills-ai-nude-photos-middle-school-vista-rcna140965","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-22 (HTTP 200). Published 28 February 2024; reports a deputy city manager's letter to parents.","independence_group":"beverly-hills-city-letter-feb-2024"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/misinformation/beverly-hills-school-expels-students-deepfake-nude-images-rcna142480","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-22 (HTTP 200). Published 8 March 2024; reports the board decision via the Los Angeles Times and minutes, and the superintendent email.","independence_group":"bhusd-expulsion-decision-mar-2024"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["education"],"unknowns":["Which AI tools were used and how the district determined the images were AI-made.","When the images were made and first shared; the district learned of them in February 2024.","Whether the police investigation led to any charge after March 2024."],"geography":{"basis":"Event: a middle school in the Beverly Hills Unified School District, Beverly Hills, California, with Beverly Hills police investigating (NBC News). No court proceeding is reported.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core case (depicted_or_impersonated): the school district that investigated and expelled five pupils describes AI-generated nude images of 16 classmates, and a city official says authorities consider that pupils used AI tools to make and share them. The district's technical basis is not disclosed. No pupil is named.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-22"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The Beverly Hills Unified School District, which investigated and expelled five pupils, described the images as AI-generated nude photos that put students' faces on nude bodies, and a city official said authorities consider that pupils used artificial intelligence tools to create and share them (NBC News, February and March 2024). The images depict the 16 targeted pupils (depicted_or_impersonated). The district did not say how it determined that AI was used, and no tool is named.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Beverly Hills, California: school district says middle school pupils made AI nude images of 16 classmates and expels five","summary":"In February 2024 the Beverly Hills Unified School District told parents that officials at one of its middle schools had been made aware of AI-generated nude photos of students, which the superintendent said put students' faces on nude bodies, and a city official said police were investigating pupils whom authorities said used AI tools to create and share the images. In March 2024 the district confirmed the expulsion of five eighth-grade pupils; the superintendent said 16 students were targeted. Students and parents told NBC News they were afraid to go to school. The district did not say how it determined that AI was used.","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"unknown","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2024-02-27","aiSystem":"Generative AI tools used to put classmates' faces on nude bodies, according to the school district and a city official (tools not identified)","aiProduct":"Unidentified image tool","severity":"high","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["exploitation_or_abuse","psychological_distress"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"According to the school district, pupils used AI to put 16 classmates' faces on nude images that were shared among students; students and parents told NBC News they were afraid to go to school.","frameworkFacets":[],"pathwayDirection":"outward","causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":16,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"Sixteen students were targeted, according to the superintendent's email to the district community (NBC News, 8 March 2024).","victimAgeRange":"minor","jurisdiction":"US","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"internal_action","outcomeStatus":"unknown","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/misinformation/beverly-hills-school-expels-students-deepfake-nude-images-rcna142480","primarySourceLabel":"NBC News, 8 March 2024: Beverly Hills middle school expels 5 students after deepfake nude photos incident","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-22T03:16:26.033755+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-22T03:16:26.033755+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["ai-generated-sexual-images","sexual-images-of-minors","school","expulsion","depicted-or-impersonated"]},{"id":"2026-marshall-county-alabama-prosecutors-say-students-allegedly-made-ai-nude-images-of-classmates-in-several-cases","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Marshall County prosecutors report several cases involving students allegedly creating nude images of classmates with artificial intelligence.' and 'According to the Marshall County District Attorney’s Office, the cases surfaced over the past month. They involve middle and high school students across county school systems.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Marshall County prosecutors said that several cases had surfaced over the past month in which middle and high school students across the county's school systems allegedly created nude images of classmates with artificial intelligence.","causal_attribution":"The district attorney's office alleges that students used AI to create the images; no charge or court finding is reported."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'According to the announcement, investigators have identified several platforms and websites used to generate the images in local cases.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"According to the announcement, investigators have identified several platforms and websites used to generate the images in the local cases.","causal_attribution":"Attributed to the prosecutors; the platforms are not named and the technical basis is not disclosed."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'However, the announcement did not identify students or schools, provide an exact case count, or announce specific charges.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The announcement did not identify students or schools, give an exact case count or announce specific charges.","causal_attribution":"Not a causal claim."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The office warned that creating, possessing, or distributing AI-generated child sexual abuse material can lead to felony charges.' and 'We will aggressively prosecute these violations,'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The office warned that creating, possessing or distributing AI-generated child sexual abuse material can lead to felony charges and said it would aggressively prosecute these violations.","causal_attribution":"Not a causal claim."},{"id":"c5","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"'Alabama District Attorneys Association’s Alabama Justice' and 'Marshall County District Attorney Jennifer Bray recently spoke to the Albertville Rotary Club'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The marshallda.org office is the district attorney for Marshall County in Alabama.","causal_attribution":"Not a causal claim; establishes the location of the announcing office."}],"effects":[{"label":"nude images of classmates allegedly created with AI","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://weisradio.com/2026/10/21/marshall-county-ai-student-images-warning/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-22 (HTTP 200). Local radio report of the district attorney office announcement, published 21 October 2026.","independence_group":"marshall-county-da-announcement-oct-2026"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://marshallda.org/news","kind":"official_record","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-22 (HTTP 200). News and events page of the Marshall County District Attorney; it does not carry the AI announcement.","independence_group":"marshall-county-da-website"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["education","justice"],"unknowns":["How many cases and how many depicted pupils there are.","Which AI platforms or websites were used and how investigators established it.","Whether the images were shared beyond their makers and how the depicted pupils were affected.","Whether anyone will be charged.","When the images were made; the office says only that the cases surfaced over the past month."],"geography":{"basis":"Event: school systems in Marshall County, according to the district attorney's office, whose marshallda.org website identifies it as an Alabama prosecutor's office. The pupils attend those schools. No court proceeding is reported, so court_countries is empty.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core case (depicted_or_impersonated): the Marshall County District Attorney's Office says several cases surfaced in which students allegedly made nude images of classmates with AI, and that its investigators identified the platforms used to generate them. The office does not disclose its technical basis, give a count or name anyone. No pupil or school is named.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-22"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The Marshall County District Attorney's Office, the prosecuting authority examining the cases, says students allegedly created nude images of classmates with artificial intelligence and that its investigators have identified the platforms and websites used to generate the images in the local cases (WEIS Radio report of the announcement). The generated images depict the classmates (depicted_or_impersonated), and their creation is the reported harm. The office does not name the platforms or disclose how the AI generation was established.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Marshall County, Alabama: prosecutors say middle and high school students allegedly made AI nude images of classmates in several cases","summary":"The Marshall County District Attorney's Office in Alabama said in a public warning, reported by WEIS Radio on 21 October 2026, that several cases had surfaced over the past month in which middle and high school students across the county's school systems allegedly created nude images of classmates with artificial intelligence. According to the announcement, investigators have identified several platforms and websites used to generate the images in these local cases. The office did not identify students or schools, give a case count or announce charges, and said it would aggressively prosecute such violations.","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"unknown","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-10-21","aiSystem":"AI platforms and websites used to generate nude images of classmates, which investigators say they have identified (not named in the announcement)","aiProduct":"Unidentified image tool","severity":"high","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["exploitation_or_abuse"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"According to the Marshall County District Attorney's Office, students in several cases over the past month allegedly created nude images of classmates with AI; the office gives no count and describes no individual pupil's response.","frameworkFacets":[],"pathwayDirection":"outward","causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":0,"affectedCountStatus":"unquantified","affectedCountEvidence":"The office speaks of several cases involving nude images of classmates but, as reported, gave no case count and identified no students; no number of depicted pupils can be supported, so zero placeholders are used.","victimAgeRange":"minor","jurisdiction":"US-AL","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"investigation_opened","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://weisradio.com/2026/10/21/marshall-county-ai-student-images-warning/","primarySourceLabel":"WEIS Radio, 21 October 2026: Marshall County DA warns of AI-generated sexual images involving students","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-22T03:04:44.559952+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-22T03:04:44.559952+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["ai-generated-sexual-images","sexual-images-of-minors","school","prosecutor-statement","depicted-or-impersonated"]},{"id":"2025-greater-manchester-former-supply-teacher-jailed-over-ai-sexualised-images-of-pupils-and-upskirting","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'used his position as a teacher to find information about pupils so he could locate them on social media and use their own photos to create sexualised images using AI technology'; 'Officers found deepfake images where the image of teenage children had been put onto the body of adults or alongside adults engaging in sexual activity.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'used artificial intelligence (AI) to create sexualised fake images from pupils' social media photographs which he shared online'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"According to the Crown Prosecution Service, the defendant used his position as a teacher to find pupils' details, located them on social media and used AI to create sexualised images from their own photos; officers found deepfake images in which teenage children had been put onto adults' bodies or alongside adults engaged in sexual activity.","causal_attribution":"Prosecution account after a guilty plea; the BBC's narrative matches it but may draw on the same CPS statement, so the claim is treated as one origin."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Some of the images were posted on X, where one of his accounts had about 1,000 followers.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'created and shared sexualised deepfake images of pupils on social media'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The images were shared on social media; the BBC reports some were posted on X, where one of the defendant's accounts had about 1,000 followers.","causal_attribution":"BBC report and the senior crown prosecutor's statement; the X detail and follower count come from the BBC only."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'On 2 March 2025, police received several reports from concerned parents about two social media accounts where they had seen images of school pupils.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'came across an image of her daughter in her school uniform next to graphic sexual images'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Police received several reports from concerned parents on 2 March 2025 about two social media accounts showing images of school pupils; the BBC reports a girl's mother found an image of her daughter in school uniform next to graphic sexual images on X.","causal_attribution":"How the offending was discovered; context."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The court heard one girl whose social media photograph had been used was left embarrassed and \"weirded out\", while another felt \"disgusted and upset\".'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'it has had a profound impact on both the victims and wider community'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The court heard that one girl whose social media photograph had been used was left embarrassed and 'weirded out', and the senior crown prosecutor said the offending had a profound impact on the victims and the wider community.","causal_attribution":"Victim impact as heard in court and as the prosecutor describes it."},{"id":"c5","status":"corroborated","evidence":[{"locator":"'He pleaded guilty to 21 offences, including taking indecent photographs of children and publishing obscene material.'; '20-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order banning him from working in schools'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'was jailed at Bolton Crown Court, for six years and was made the subject of a 20-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order to prevent further offending'; 'pleaded guilty at Bolton Crown Court on 28 May 2026'; '4 counts of publishing an obscene article'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The defendant pleaded guilty at Bolton Crown Court in May 2026 to 21 offences, including publishing obscene material, and on 15 October 2026 was jailed for six years with a 20-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order barring him from working in schools.","causal_attribution":"The plea and sentence as reported from court by the BBC and stated by the prosecuting authority."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'taking more than 100 upskirt photographs of schoolgirls, including in his classroom'; 'The court heard 15 girls, aged 13 to 16, were targeted at seven secondary schools in Bolton, Bury and Salford. Police said 12 had been identified.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The defendant also took more than 100 covert upskirt photographs of schoolgirls, including in classrooms; the court heard 15 girls were targeted across the offending and police had identified 12.","causal_attribution":"Non-AI offending in the same prosecution; context for the counts."}],"effects":[{"label":"pupils' social media photos made into sexualised AI images and shared online","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"},{"label":"a girl whose photo was used left embarrassed","claim_id":"c4","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ck79p174x3d3o","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-16 (HTTP 200). BBC court report of the 15 October 2026 sentencing, quoting the prosecutor, the judge, the defence and Greater Manchester Police; it also quotes the CPS statement.","independence_group":"bolton-crown-court-sentencing-bbc"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.cps.gov.uk/north-west/news/former-supply-teacher-jailed-sexual-offences-including-deepfake-images-and","kind":"official_statement","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-16 (HTTP 200). Crown Prosecution Service North West press release of 15 October 2026.","independence_group":"cps-north-west-release"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["privacy","education","justice"],"unknowns":["Which AI tool was used and when the AI images were made","How many pupils were depicted in the AI images, as distinct from the upskirt photographs","How long the images stayed online, who saw them and whether the platform removed them"],"geography":{"basis":"Event and affected people: the BBC reports the targeted girls attended seven secondary schools in Bolton, Bury and Salford, Greater Manchester, where the defendant worked. Court: Bolton Crown Court.","court_countries":["GB"],"event_countries":["GB"],"affected_person_countries":["GB"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published on the prosecuting authority's account after a guilty plea: the Crown Prosecution Service says the former supply teacher used AI to create sexualised images from pupils' social media photos and shared them, and officers found the deepfake images on his devices; the BBC court report says the same and that a girl whose photo was used was left embarrassed. The plea and sentence are reported by both. The pupils are minors and are not identified; the defendant is not named because his name adds nothing to the record.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-16"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The Crown Prosecution Service, which prosecuted the case to a guilty plea, says the defendant used pupils' own social media photos to create sexualised images using AI technology, and that officers found deepfake images on his seized devices placing teenage children onto adults' bodies or alongside sexual activity; police also found his searches about creating images with AI. The BBC court report says he used AI to make sexualised fake images from pupils' photographs and shared them online. The AI output is itself the sexual depiction of the pupils (depicted_or_impersonated). The tool is not named.","status":"supported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Greater Manchester: former supply teacher jailed for six years; prosecutors say he used AI to make sexualised images of pupils from their social media photos","summary":"A former supply teacher who worked at secondary schools in Greater Manchester was jailed for six years at Bolton Crown Court on 15 October 2026 after pleading guilty to 21 offences, including publishing obscene material and taking indecent photographs of children. The Crown Prosecution Service says he used his position to find pupils' details, located their social media profiles and used AI to create sexualised images from their own photos, which he shared on social media; the BBC reports some were posted on X. Parents reported two accounts to police in March 2025. The court heard that one girl whose photograph had been used was left embarrassed. His offending also included more than 100 covert upskirt photographs taken in schools. The AI tool is not named.","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"unknown","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-10-15","aiSystem":"AI technology used to create sexualised images from pupils' social media photographs, as the Crown Prosecution Service describes it (tool not identified)","aiProduct":"Unidentified image tool","severity":"high","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["exploitation_or_abuse","psychological_distress"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"According to the Crown Prosecution Service, a supply teacher used AI to make sexualised images of teenage pupils from their social media photos and shared them online; the court heard that one girl whose photo was used was left embarrassed.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"partial","affectedCountEvidence":"At least one pupil whose social media photograph was used is described as embarrassed (claim c4, BBC court report). The CPS refers to victims in the plural and the court heard that 15 girls were targeted across all the offending, but the sources do not say how many were depicted in AI images, so further victims are unquantified. The pupils did not use the AI.","victimAgeRange":"minor","jurisdiction":"GB","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"criminal_charges","outcomeStatus":"resolved","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ck79p174x3d3o","primarySourceLabel":"BBC News, 15 October 2026: Teacher jailed for taking upskirt photos of pupils","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-16T03:00:14.536526+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-16T03:00:14.536526+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["ai-sexualised-images","non-consensual-sexual-imagery","minors","school-staff","social-media","guilty-plea","sentencing","england","united-kingdom","depicted-or-impersonated"]},{"id":"2026-gilmer-county-georgia-school-vending-vendor-ai-child-abuse-images-pepsi-lawsuit","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The student told authorities he had asked her to send him pictures through a social media app, a request she considered inappropriate.'; 'Investigators ultimately identified more than 150 underage victims from Georgia and other states, according to prosecutors.'; 'He then used the technology to manipulate the photos to make the children appear nude or, in some cases, engaged in sexual activity.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"'then used AI applications to digitally alter the photos to make the subjects appear nude or engage in sexual activity, the district attorney’s office said.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'after authorities said they discovered a trove of child sex abuse material that he generated by running normal photographs of the victims through artificial intelligence programs.'; 'included sexual abuse content of more than 150 victims, many of whom were identified as students in Gilmer County, prosecutors said.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"},{"locator":"'the report prompted an extensive investigation that ultimately uncovered hundreds of images and videos depicting child sexual abuse, including digitally altered images involving minors from the local community.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"According to the prosecuting DeKalb County District Attorney's Office, the investigation began in December 2024 when a Gilmer High School student reported that a vendor who refilled drink machines on campus had asked her through a social media app to send him pictures; he downloaded photographs of minors from social media and used AI applications and bots to alter them so the children appeared nude or engaged in sexual activity; investigators identified more than 150 underage victims from Georgia and other states.","causal_attribution":"Prosecutors' account (one chain via CBS Atlanta, FOX 5 and Atlanta News First; the AJC attributes the same to authorities and prosecutors). The sheriff's separate statement supports digitally altered images of local minors but does not itself describe the AI tools."},{"id":"c2","status":"corroborated","evidence":[{"locator":"'118 counts of sexual exploitation of children.'; 'with 40 to serve in prison and the remainder on probation.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'has been sentenced to 60 years, with 40 years to be served in prison, following his conviction on 118 counts of Sexual Exploitation of Children.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"'was convicted last month on 118 counts of sexual exploitation of children, court records show.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"}],"assertion":"The vendor was convicted on 118 counts of sexual exploitation of children and sentenced to 60 years, with 40 to be served in prison.","causal_attribution":"Conviction and sentence reported through the DA's statement (CBS Atlanta), the Gilmer County Sheriff's separate statement (FetchYourNews) and the AJC citing court records. The court record itself was not read."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'was found guilty Aug. 13 of 118 counts of sexual exploitation of children.'; 'The DeKalb County District Attorney's Office prosecuted the case after being appointed as conflict prosecutor in February 2025.'; 'Cobb County Senior Judge Grant Brantley presided over the case'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"'was sentenced Sept. 2 following an investigation that began in December 2024'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"'Nineteen victims gave impact statements at the sentencing hearing in Ellijay, according to the DeKalb County district attorney’s office'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"}],"assertion":"The verdict was rendered on 13 August 2026 by a Cobb County senior judge after the DeKalb County District Attorney's Office took the case as conflict prosecutor in February 2025; at the sentencing hearing on 2 September 2026 in Ellijay, 19 victims gave impact statements.","causal_attribution":"Procedural facts as reported by the DA's chain, the sheriff's statement and the AJC."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'At least eight female students were victimized by a vendor allowed access to Gilmer County schools even after students complained that he was taking photos and videos of them in school without their consent.'; 'The girls range from 12 to 17 years old.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s6"},{"locator":"'On Friday, the parents of eight victims filed a lawsuit against'; 'the Pepsi defendants conducted an investigation but later reinstated'; 'caused fear, mental suffering, shame, and humiliation and sustained damages'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s7"},{"locator":"'A civil lawsuit filed in Georgia accuses PepsiCo of negligence, saying the company failed to protect students from a vending machine vendor who photographed middle and high school girls and then used AI tools to alter the images into sexually explicit material.'; 'Pepsi has not yet filed a public response to the negligence claims.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s8"}],"assertion":"The parents of eight female students aged 12 to 17 sued the vendor, Pepsi Beverage Co. and Pepsi-Cola Sales and Distribution in a suit reported on 28 February 2025, alleging that after students complained he was photographing them at school the companies investigated but reinstated him to the same route including the school, and that his conduct caused the plaintiffs fear, mental suffering, shame and humiliation.","causal_attribution":"Allegations in the civil complaint as reported by the AJC and relayed by PetaPixel (one chain), and restated by USA Herald. The allegations are untested; the companies' response is not reported."}],"effects":[{"label":"ordinary photographs of more than 150 minors, many of them local students, were turned into child sexual abuse material with AI applications, according to prosecutors","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"},{"label":"eight student plaintiffs allege fear, mental suffering, shame and humiliation, and that the vendor was returned to their school route after students complained","claim_id":"c3","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.cbsnews.com/atlanta/news/former-georgia-school-vendor-sentenced-for-using-ai-to-make-child-sexual-abuse-material/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-27 (CBS Atlanta, 3 September 2026). Relays the DeKalb County DA's account.","independence_group":"dekalb-da-statement"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.atlantanewsfirst.com/2026/09/02/gilmer-county-man-convicted-over-100-counts-sexual-exploitation/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-27 (Atlanta News First, 2 September 2026). Attributes each fact to the DA's office.","independence_group":"dekalb-da-statement"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/ex-school-vendor-faces-sentencing-ai-child-exploitation-case","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-27 (FOX 5 Atlanta, 31 August 2026, pre-sentencing). States that the information came from a DeKalb County DA press release.","independence_group":"dekalb-da-statement"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://gilmer.fetchyournews.com/2026/09/07/gilmer-county-man-sentenced-to-40-years-in-prison-after-conviction-on-118-child-exploitation-counts/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-27 (FetchYourNews Gilmer, 7 September 2026). Relays the Gilmer County Sheriff's Office statement, a separate official source from the DA.","independence_group":"gilmer-sheriff-statement"},{"id":"s5","url":"https://www.ajc.com/news/2026/09/georgia-man-sentenced-to-decades-in-prison-in-ai-child-sex-abuse-materials-case/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-27 (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, byline dated 2 September 2026; page metadata 3 September 2026). Only the deck and first three paragraphs rendered as readable text; the remainder is scrambled by the publisher's anti-scraping layer and was not used. Cites court records and the DA.","independence_group":"ajc"},{"id":"s6","url":"https://www.ajc.com/news/crime/student-victims-of-vendor-accused-of-using-ai-to-turn-their-images-into-porn-file-lawsuit/D6UEXAAHRFE67OXBIQCW77IHPY/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-27 (AJC, 28 February 2025). Deck and first two paragraphs readable; the remainder scrambled by the publisher and not used. Reports the civil complaint.","independence_group":"civil-complaint-ajc"},{"id":"s7","url":"https://petapixel.com/2025/03/05/students-sue-pepsi-after-its-vendor-used-ai-to-turn-photos-into-child-porn/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-27 (PetaPixel, 5 March 2025). Relays the AJC's report of the complaint with direct complaint quotations; same chain as s6.","independence_group":"civil-complaint-ajc"},{"id":"s8","url":"https://usaherald.com/georgia-parents-sue-pepsi-after-vending-machine-worker-used-ai-to-make-child-abuse-images-of-their-children/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-27 (USA Herald, 26 September 2026). A legal-news write-up drawing on CBS Atlanta and other Georgia outlets; gives no court, filing date or case number for the suit.","independence_group":"usaherald"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["education","privacy","justice"],"unknowns":["When the photographs were taken and altered; the known dated events are the student's report in December 2024 and the arrest in January 2025.","Which AI applications or bots were used.","How many of the more than 150 victims were depicted in AI-altered images rather than other material, and how many of the 118 counts concern AI-altered images.","The court, case number and current status of the civil suit, and whether USA Herald's 26 September 2026 article describes the February 2025 suit or a later filing.","Pepsi's response to the negligence allegations.","Which other states the victims live in."],"geography":{"basis":"The school, the report, the arrest and the sentencing are in Gilmer County, Georgia (FOX 5: sentencing scheduled 'at the Gilmer County Courthouse in Ellijay'; AJC: 'the sentencing hearing in Ellijay'); prosecutors say victims were 'from Georgia and other states' (the other states are not named); the civil suit is described as filed in Georgia (USA Herald).","court_countries":["US"],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as a core case (AI-generated sexual depictions of real children): the prosecuting DA's account, the AJC and the sheriff's statement describe AI-altered child sexual abuse material made from students' photographs, and the conviction and sentence are reported by separate official chains. The civil allegations against the Pepsi entities are reported as untested allegations. Children and the convicted vendor are not named.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-27"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The prosecuting DeKalb County District Attorney's Office says the vendor uploaded photographs of minors to online applications and bots and used AI applications to alter them into sexually explicit images (via FOX 5 Atlanta and Atlanta News First); the AJC and CBS Atlanta report the same, and the Gilmer County sheriff's separate statement refers to digitally altered or AI-generated material. He was convicted on 118 counts; the bodies do not say how many counts concerned AI-altered images, and the tools are not named.","status":"supported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Gilmer County, Georgia: a vendor who restocked drink machines in local schools used AI applications to turn ordinary photographs of students into child sexual abuse material; prosecutors identified more than 150 underage victims, he was convicted on 118 counts and sentenced on 2 September 2026 to 40 years in prison, and parents of eight students sued Pepsi entities for keeping him on the school route","summary":"According to the DeKalb County District Attorney's Office, which prosecuted the case as conflict prosecutor, the investigation began in December 2024 when a Gilmer High School student told a school resource officer that a vendor who refilled drink machines on campus had asked her through a social media app to send him pictures. The Gilmer County Sheriff's Office arrested him in January 2025 and searched his devices, car and home. Prosecutors say he downloaded photographs of minors from social media and used AI applications and bots to alter them so the children appeared nude or engaged in sexual activity, and that the material related to more than 150 underage victims in Georgia and other states, many of them Gilmer County students. A Cobb County senior judge found him guilty on 13 August 2026 of 118 counts of sexual exploitation of children and on 2 September 2026, after 19 victim impact statements, sentenced him to 60 years with 40 to serve in prison. Separately, the parents of eight female students aged 12 to 17 sued him, Pepsi Beverage Co. and Pepsi-Cola Sales and Distribution in a suit reported on 28 February 2025, alleging the companies reinstated him to the same school route after students complained that he was photographing them; USA Herald reported the negligence suit again on 26 September 2026 and said Pepsi had not yet responded publicly. The AI tools are not named and the court and status of the civil suit are not reported.","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"unknown","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2025-02-28","aiSystem":"Unnamed AI applications and online bots used to alter photographs of minors taken from social media (DeKalb County District Attorney's Office via FOX 5 Atlanta and Atlanta News First); the tools are not identified","aiProduct":"Unidentified image tool","severity":"high","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["exploitation_or_abuse","psychological_distress"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Prosecutors say photographs of more than 150 minors were turned into child sexual abuse material with AI applications (DeKalb County DA via FOX 5, Atlanta News First and CBS Atlanta; AJC); the civil complaint, as reported by the AJC and PetaPixel, alleges the conduct caused eight student plaintiffs fear, mental suffering, shame and humiliation.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":150,"affectedCountStatus":"documented_minimum","affectedCountEvidence":"Prosecutors say investigators identified 'more than 150 underage victims' (FOX 5 Atlanta, from the DA press release; AJC: 'more than 150 victims'). The explicit lower bound supports a minimum of 150. The eight civil plaintiffs are among the students; how many of the 150 were depicted in AI-altered rather than other images is not reported.","victimAgeRange":"minor","jurisdiction":"US-GA","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"criminal_charges","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.cbsnews.com/atlanta/news/former-georgia-school-vendor-sentenced-for-using-ai-to-make-child-sexual-abuse-material/","primarySourceLabel":"CBS Atlanta, 3 September 2026: Former Georgia school vendor sentenced for using AI to make child sexual abuse material","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-27T03:39:37.494001+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:17:37.519889+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["deepfakes","csam","minors","school","vendor","georgia","gilmer-county","criminal-conviction","lawsuit","depicted-or-impersonated"]}]}