They Devoted Themselves to Education. Then Deepfakes Emerged.

For Luis DeSantiago, a substitute teacher from Los Banos, California, it all began with a series of text messages. On March 12, while he was working his other part-time job at a coffee shop, his phone buzzed. A fellow barista informed him of an AI-generated photo making rounds on social media. Her cousin was curious to know if it featured DeSantiago.

Initially, DeSantiago felt no concern—he assumed that inappropriate images would breach TikTok’s community standards and would be swiftly removed.

“The moment I saw the image, it hit me like a punch to the gut,” DeSantiago shares with WIRED. Parts of it looked like a mirror selfie he remembered taking during his college job. However, instead of his work attire, he was clad in lingerie, and rather than standing normally, he was posed in a suggestive manner.

The flood of messages sparked a months-long ordeal that spanned two schools, involving both students and administrators. DeSantiago is not the only educator facing such victimization.

WIRED spoke with three additional teachers who allege that students have created sexualized images and videos of them, likely using AI. They express feelings of deep distress and disappointment—and in some instances, it has caused them to reevaluate their perspective on their work and relationships with students.

“This Could Include Other Students”

After receiving the texts, DeSantiago began to piece together potential suspects behind the image. One account that had shared it used their real name on TikTok; it was a student he recognized from the local middle school, where he frequently worked. He suspected that two other students were involved based on the followers and interactions of that account, as well as his knowledge of student social circles. He was scheduled to work at that same middle school the following day.

DeSantiago reported the incident to the assistant principal, who assured him that the situation would be handled. That evening, he decided to search for the image by looking up his name on TikTok. He found that another student had created an account impersonating him—using a slightly misspelled version of his name and featuring the same photo as their profile picture.

In the weeks that followed, DeSantiago recounts engaging in discussions with school officials, the students’ parents, and even law enforcement.

“If these students are unafraid to generate and share these images of me, I am concerned about what they might be disbursing privately via text messages and group chats,” DeSantiago wrote to the principal. “Remember, this could potentially involve other students as well.”

One student, who confessed to creating the image, faced disciplinary action with in-school suspension. Later, DeSantiago learned that the image was also shared on Snapchat. However, he claims it continued to spread, with other students beginning to circulate it. He reported receiving several crude, sexual remarks on his TikTok account.

DeSantiago informed administrators that he would not accept assignments at the middle school “until this issue is fully resolved.” The district did not respond to WIRED’s request for comment.

He took a substitute position at the local high school, but the problems followed. During one class, he received an AirDropped photo of the same AI-generated image before it was quickly rescinded. He noticed that it was circulating among the students.

The principal assured him that an “immediate investigation” was underway and offered to meet with DeSantiago or arrange for a school counselor to be available, but DeSantiago states that he likely won’t return to the district this school year.

He confides to WIRED that, for now, he doesn’t feel safe doing so.

“It Makes You Question Everything”

When fake nude images of non-consenting individuals are shared, it may constitute cyberstalking and breach the federal Take It Down Act, which criminalizes the publication of nonconsensual “intimate visual depictions of individuals, including both real and computer-generated images,” online.

In most cases reported to WIRED, the teachers did not directly report the content to the platforms where it appeared. Snap spokesperson Monique Bellamy clarified the company’s policies against harassment and sexual content, which forbid the sharing of AI-generated or manipulated content intended to humiliate or sexually harass others. She informed WIRED that the company has “established processes” for reporting such content, and that it continues to develop features and tools aimed at enhancing the safety, privacy, and welfare of its community. TikTok did not respond before publication.