A male law undergraduate student from the University of Hong Kong (HKU) is facing disciplinary action following the creation of over 700 indecent images of female classmates and other women using Artificial Intelligence (AI) without their consent.
Three individuals claiming to be students at HKU have publicly revealed that the male student (referred to as X) utilized their photographs from social media to generate obscene AI-generated images.
It is reported that X was discovered by a peer in February possessing more than 700 inappropriate images involving 20 to 30 females on his laptop. These images included those of X's university and primary school classmates, friends, and secondary school teachers.
HKU provided updates during meetings held in late March and mid-April, indicating that a warning letter had been issued to X. The university also requested that X compose a formal apology to the affected students.
However, the affected students contended that HKU did not impose a sufficiently stringent punishment on X, as the university asserted that he had not violated the University Ordinance following consultations with legal advisors. Consequently, the warning letter was retained in X's personal student file for internal reference.
While one of the affected students received a brief apology letter from X -- forwarded by the university -- the letter, comprising only 60 words, was perceived by most victims as insincere.
Meanwhile, HKU also faced criticism for insufficiently facilitating arrangements for the affected students regarding lecture rescheduling.
Some of these students have requested to continue their studies in alternative sections; however, the majority of these requests were denied by the university. The victims have accused HKU of subjecting them to undue psychological stress by maintaining their presence in the same classroom as Student X.
HKU issued a statement affirming that the university has been addressing the matter in accordance with the University Ordinance. The statement acknowledged the university's understanding and respect for students' concerns, indicating that further actions would be taken and emphasizing that the university does not tolerate sexism, assault, or inappropriate behavior.
