The probe was launched after 16 young women at an educational institute in the Valencia region came forward to complain of AI-generated images of them circulating on social media and the internet.

The first complaint was lodged in December by an adolescent who said an AI-generated video and faked photos resembling her “completely naked” were posted on a social media account started under her name.

As more accusations came in, police suspected the images were the work of a student in the same institute, according to a statement by the police.

Tracking the IP addresses used to create the bogus accounts led them to the home of the 17-year-old now under investigation on suspicion of corruption of minors.

It is not the first time that Spanish authorities have detected AI-created pornographic images of minors.

The government in March said it would put forward a law to treat such deepfaked sexual imagery created by AI without consent as a crime.

The bill, which Madrid claims to be a first in Europe, has yet to be passed by the parliament.