A Spanish prosecutor’s office announced its intent to investigate whether AI-generated images depicting naked teenage girls, reportedly created and disseminated by their peers in southwestern Spain, constituted a criminal offense. This development underscores the growing concern worldwide over the use of such technology by children. In June, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation had issued a warning, citing a rise in criminals employing artificial intelligence to craft sexually explicit images for purposes of intimidation and extortion.
The prosecutor’s office received a comprehensive 200-page police dossier, which included approximately 20 complaints from families. These families reported the circulation of fabricated nude images of their daughters, generated using an AI application, across social media platforms and chatrooms frequented by teenagers in Almendralejo, a town in the Extremadura region with a population of 30,000.
Meanwhile, in Madrid, a separate investigation is ongoing, involving similar cases of AI-generated naked images of two young victims, as confirmed by the police.
According to the police report, teenagers ranging from 13 to 15 years old have been identified as the individuals responsible for creating and sharing these images in Extremadura.
The prosecutor’s office has indicated that it will meticulously review the provided documents before determining whether individuals older than 14 can be subject to investigation and potential charges. Under Spanish law, individuals under the age of 14 cannot be charged with crimes but are referred to child protection services, which have the authority to mandate their participation in rehabilitation programs.
Miriam al Adib, the mother of one of the victims, expressed her distress, noting that the dissemination of fake images through the messaging app WhatsApp had been ongoing since July. She emphasized the need for a broader national conversation on this issue, as it intertwines concerns such as bullying, sexual violence, the hypersexualization of children, the objectification of women, and the accessibility of pornography at a young age.
Fernando Miro, a professor of criminal law at Miguel Hernandez University and an AI advisor to the Council of Europe, highlighted that any potential criminal liability in these cases hinges on the age of the perpetrators. If older than 14, they could potentially face charges related to child pornography and possibly other offenses concerning personal honor, image, or moral integrity.
