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A pair of 14-year-old boys in Edmonton have been charged for allegedly using artificial intelligence to create child exploitation images of their classmates.
In a news release Wednesday, officials with Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) said several students at an Edmonton junior high school have been identified as victims of the teens, who used images of their fellow students to create sexually abusive imagery.
Investigators allege the teens took photos of girls at their school without consent, in addition to obtaining photos of female classmates from their social media accounts, and then used AI software to sexualize the images.
The accused students have since been charged with making and possessing child sexual exploitation materials as well as voyeurism.
Investigators said they are not releasing the names of the accused teens or identifying the school where the offences took place to protect the identity of the victims.
Officials said the investigation began in March after receiving a report from a teacher at the school, following complaints from students.
ALERT, with assistance from EPS Child Protection Section and the Zebra Child & Youth Advocacy Centre, have been working on the investigation.
The Saffron Centre, a specialized facility offering support for survivors of sexual assault, has also assisted and continues to support the victims, investigators said.
During a news conference Wednesday, Alison Church — a staff sergeant with ALERT’s Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit — said some of the girls were aware that photos had been taken of them in public spaces at school, but none had consented to what happened to the images.
Church said forensic review of the evidence is ongoing but the number of victims could be in the “double digits.”
The investigation determined that sexualized images were shared between the two teens but word about the existence of the images eventually spread through the school, she said.
‘The tip of the iceberg’
Investigators declined to say which application was used to manipulate the photographs. Church said while there are some “problem applications” that are custom engineered for abusive purposes, other AI programs can be used in the same way.
“Sadly, this is a reality of the challenges that youth, parents and police are facing with advancements in technology,” Church said.
Church said she had a clear message for anyone who is considering using AI to manipulate images in a sexually exploitative way.
“You will be held responsible, regardless of your age,” she said. “These are serious crimes.”
Church said in cases such as this one, child victims are often reluctant to come forward due to shame or fear. She said she expects details of the case may prompt other victims to speak up.
“I think we are the tip of the iceberg with investigations that involve artificial intelligence,” she said.
‘Very predatory’
Const. Stephanie Bosh, who has been leading the investigation, said AI-assisted online exploitation is a “new phenomena” being navigated by parents and caregivers.
The images being generated are “very convincing,” a realism that increases the harm faced by victims who have lost control over their own likeness, she said.
Bosh reiterated that this type of image manipulation is a crime.
“It is very illegal and very predatory to do something like this,” Bosh said. “You will be held accountable, even if you’re a kid yourself.”
She said police are increasingly fielding reports from city schools and public awareness is critical to reduce the potential harms of these emerging technologies.
The Edmonton investigation is the second school-related incident ALERT has investigated involving the use of AI and child sexual exploitation materials.
In December 2025, a Calgary high school student was charged for sexualizing photos of numerous young girls that attended high schools in the Calgary area.
The Edmonton charges are the latest in a string of Canadian online exploitation cases involving the use of AI to target victims. The use of manipulated images or videos, also known as AI deepfakes, has been at the centre of police investigations across the country.
Last month, police in Ottawa arrested two men in a case involving more than 20 women whose images were allegedly manipulated with AI to generate photos and video depicting them in violent scenes and sexual acts.
In another high-profile case, a Halifax man who used artificial intelligence to create nude images of five high school classmates was acquitted on intimate images charges, but pleaded guilty to other counts. That case prompted outcry and calls for Canada to adopt new online exploitation laws that would keep pace with changing technologies.
Canada has no law specific to deepfakes. A bill that would criminalize such images continues to wind its way through Parliament.