The University of Hong Kong (HKU) has said the case of a law student accused of using AI to generate indecent images of his female classmates and teachers is not closed, despite having issued a warning letter to him.
“The University wishes to clarify that the case has remained open and under ongoing attention since the initial complaint was received. The warning letter issued by the University and the formal apology made by the male student are not a closure to the case,” HKU said in a statement on Thursday.
The city’s oldest university also said that its Equal Opportunities Unit “has already been approached.”
“The male student expressed deep remorse for his actions, and has voluntarily withdrawn from a year-long overseas academic exchange programme in the upcoming school year,” it added.
The HKU statement was issued two days after the city’s privacy watchdog, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD), said it had launched a criminal probe into the scandal.
The student was accused of fabricating pornographic images of around 20 to 30 women, using free online artificial intelligence (AI) tools, without their consent.
He admitted to using photos found on the women’s social media accounts to generate the “deepfake” images, according to three anonymous victims who first made the allegations online.
HKU has been criticised for being too lenient in handling the matter, as the male student did not face any disciplinary action.
The scandal has attracted attention from the city’s top official. On Tuesday, hours before the PCPD’s announcement, Chief Executive John Lee urged universities to handle student misconduct “seriously.”
The Association Concerning Sexual Violence Against Women (ACSVAW), also known as RainLily, said on Thursday that it had received 11 calls for help regarding AI-generated intimate images in its 2024-25 service year.
The anti-sexual violence NGO said it received eight and seven calls, respectively, during the 2023-24 and 2022-23 service years.
The NGO said that AI-generated “deepfake” images could bring long-term harm to victims, causing them to worry about the spread of fabricated images of themselves on the internet.
Its executive director, Doris Chong, said that society should raise awareness of sexual violence relating to AI-generated images and “deepfake” technology.
“Fostering responsible use of technology is the only way to reduce gender inequality on the internet and sexual violence caused by technology,” Chong said in the Chinese-language statement.
