A law student at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) has expressed “deep remorse” for using artificial intelligence (AI) tools to create pornographic images of female classmates and has voluntarily withdrawn from an overseas academic exchange programme, according to the institution.
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In a statement issued on Thursday, its second within five days in response to the controversy, HKU stressed that the warning letter to the student and his formal apology were “not a closure to the case”.
“The male student expressed deep remorse for his actions and has voluntarily withdrawn from a year-long overseas academic exchange programme in the upcoming school year,” the statement read.
“The university will cooperate with law enforcement agencies and will continue to further review the case, taking further action when appropriate.”
The case first came to light in mid-February when a friend of the law student discovered pornographic images of multiple women on the student’s personal laptop.
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Upon questioning, he admitted to generating the images using free online AI software, based on publicly available photos and screenshots sourced from social media.
The more than 700 images generated were organised into folders according to the names of the 20 to 30 victims, including his friends, university classmates, seniors, and former primary school classmates and secondary schoolteachers, the students claimed.