A Corinth Middle School teacher, Wilson Frederick Jones, has been arrested and charged with producing morphed child pornography images using artificial intelligence (AI) tools. The incident raises concerns about the school district’s handling of the situation and the potential for accountability among officials.
In November 2024, the district’s Bark application detected AI-generated videos on the school computer, which depicted students between 14 to 16 years old engaging in inappropriate behavior. Despite this, officials allegedly failed to report the incident to law enforcement or the Mississippi Department of Education for over two months.
Superintendent Dr. Edward Lee Childress claimed he “simply forgot” to report the matter, but the Corinth School Board unanimously voted to terminate him after a special meeting on March 17. The district has since provided counseling services to the affected students and families.
Police and FBI arrested Jones on March 12, charging him with producing and possessing morphed child pornography images. An affidavit alleges that Jones created videos using AI prompts, including one that showed two girls posing in each other’s arms.
The case has sparked calls for accountability among officials, including Corinth Mayor and Board of Alderman. Families of the victims are demanding a deeper investigation into the school district’s handling of the situation and potential federal charges against officials who failed to report suspicious activity.
Mississippi House Rep. Jill Ford has spoken out in support of stronger AI laws to combat online exploitation, while Senate Bill 2059 would have established an Artificial Intelligence Education Task Force to evaluate potential applications of AI in education. However, this bill died in committee.
The incident highlights the need for improved safeguards and accountability measures to prevent similar cases in the future.
Source: https://www.mississippifreepress.org/teacher-used-ai-to-make-pornographic-videos-of-students-authorities-allege-prompting-corinth-families-to-demand-accountability