An investigation is underway in Beverly Hills, California, after a spate of AI-generated nude images were created and shared using the faces of middle school students.

Beverly Hills Unified School District sent a letter to parents about the discovery of the deep fakes last week, warning that the students responsible could face expulsion. The school district is investigating alongside the Beverly Hills Police Department, though it’s unclear if criminal charges could be involved.

“While the law is still catching up with the rapid advancement of technology and such acts may not yet be classified as a crime, we are working closely with the Beverly Hills Police Department throughout this investigation,” read the letter sent last week by three BHUSD administrators, Beverly Vista Middle School Principal Dr. Kelly Skon, BHUSD Superintendent Dr. Michael Bregy, and BHUSD Executive Director of School Safety Mark Mead.

“We assure you that if any criminal offenses are discovered, they will be addressed to the fullest extent possible.”

It’s also unclear just how many students at Beverly Vista Middle School, home to 750 students, were victimized by the practice, which uses any number of apps to take the real face of someone and place it on an artificially generated nude body.

“Collectively, we are nothing short of outraged by this behavior and we are prepared to implement the most severe disciplinary actions allowable under California Education Code,” the letter went on. “Any student found to be creating, disseminating, or in possession of AI-generated images of this nature will face disciplinary actions, including, but not limited to, a recommendation for expulsion.”

One CEO of an AI technology company said it used to take “100 people to create something fake.”

“Today you need one, and soon that person will be able to create 100” in the same amount of time, Swear founder Jason Crawforth told the Los Angeles Times. “We’ve gone from the information age to the disinformation age.”

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