A 73-year-old Gold Coast teacher has been charged with child exploitation offences after using a work-issued computer to create explicit images of staff members and students.
The man, a former high school teacher at A.B. Paterson College in Arundel, was the subject of a complaint in October last year after explicit AI-generated images falsely depicting staff and students were found on his digital account.
In a statement sent to parents on Thursday afternoon, the school’s principal Joanne Sheehy said the college acted swiftly after discovering the content, and immediately reported the incident to Queensland police.
“Following an internal investigation, it was determined that the staff member’s conduct amounted to serious misconduct, and their employment with the college was terminated immediately,” Sheehy said.
“In accordance with our legal and school protocols, the college met with the staff member to formally advise them of their termination and notified Queensland Police and other relevant authorities.”
Sheehy said they did not believe the former teacher had distributed or shared the AI-generated images.
“From the moment the AI-generated material was discovered it was secured, quarantined and access was strictly limited to the minimum required for police and legal purposes.
“All material was handed to Queensland Police in full.”
Detectives from the Gold Coast Child Protection and Investigation Unit charged the man with creating and possessing child exploitation material and misusing a restricted computer on Thursday.
The man is due to appear in Southport Magistrates Court on August 6.
Detective Senior Sergeant Greg Aubort said the misuse of artificial intelligence to create child exploitation material was a serious criminal offence that causes real harm to victims, regardless of whether the images have been digitally generated.
“Technology is constantly evolving, but so are our investigative capabilities. Anyone who believes they can use AI or online platforms to create, possess, or distribute child exploitation material should expect to be identified and held accountable.
“The Queensland Police Service will relentlessly investigate, identify and hold offenders accountable to protect children and our community.”
On Friday, police charged another man – 52-year-old Cleveland resident John Speer – with creating AI-generated sexual images of women and allegedly displaying them on posters in public toilets around south-east Queensland with their full names, jobs and social media details.
The posters allegedly show the faces of real women superimposed onto images of others performing sexual acts, as well as claims they are available for sex work.
Police have been investigating the posters since 2021, with the most recent material found in Gatton, west of Brisbane, in May.
Speer was charged with 43 offences, including 27 counts of distributing intimate images, six counts of stalking and four firearm charges.
Ipswich Detective Acting Inspector Tim Martin said it was “important to remember these are real people who have suffered significant emotional distress as a result of this offending” and urged anyone who found a poster to contact police.
“Artificial intelligence is an emerging technology but using it to create and distribute abusive or degrading material is not beyond the reach of police,” he said.
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