An Alberta case shows generative AI is already a tool of abuse, and that the courts treat it as a real crime

By The Canadian Press (via Toronto Star) · October 30, 2026.

A girls' soccer coach in southern Alberta (Canada) is facing a sentencing hearing in Lethbridge for creating artificially generated sexualized images of several of his players. According to the agency, the prosecution asked the judge for two years in prison. The defense argues that a community sentence would suffice.

The charges were laid in 2025 and included making, distributing, possessing and accessing child pornography, as well as transmitting an intimate image without consent. The accused ultimately pleaded guilty to making and possessing child pornography. According to available information, the judge is expected to reserve the decision rather than announce it immediately.

The report is very brief. It does not specify what tool was used, how many victims there are or how the case came to light. So we cannot say more about the specific facts, and we prefer not to speculate.

Our take is different. This case reflects a short-term risk that requires neither superintelligence nor frontier models: accessible image-generation tools and a person with access to minors are enough. The victim is real even if the image is synthetic. And the abuser, moreover, held a position of trust.

In general, criminal law in several countries already treats AI-generated images of minors the same as traditional abuse material. Here, the accused pleaded guilty to making and possessing that material, which shows that no new law is needed to prosecute it. What is lacking is prevention: protocols in clubs and schools, digital education and fast reporting mechanisms.

This is the hard side of the transition. We maintain that AI will lead to a much better society in the long run, but that promise is only fulfilled if we protect the most vulnerable along the way. Governing harmful uses, with evidence and proportionate penalties, does not hold back progress. It is the condition for progress to earn people's trust.