Hundreds of harmless-looking AI apps secretly made sexual deepfakes, Wired investigation finds
Pet-portrait and tutoring apps passed Apple and Google reviews, then switched on hidden abusive image tools, researchers say.
More than 400 apps and websites that looked like ordinary AI tools, such as pet-portrait makers and language tutors, secretly let users create sexually abusive fake images of real people, according to an investigation published Monday by Wired magazine.
How the trick worked
The apps looked harmless when Apple and Google reviewed them, Wired reported. But each time someone downloaded one, the app quietly contacted its maker's server. The server decided whether to show the harmless version or load a hidden web page that turned uploaded photos into explicit deepfakes, which are fake images or videos made with AI.
One trigger appeared to be arriving through an ad on Facebook or Instagram, said Paul Bouchaud, a researcher at AI Forensics, a European nonprofit that studies tech platforms. Researchers found tens of thousands of such ads. Wired reported that some ads contained AI-made child sexual abuse material.
Researchers linked the network to Chinese-language developers and a Hong Kong company called KeLing Technology Limited, Wired said. The company did not respond to Wired. Apps in the network were downloaded more than 350,000 times from Google Play, many rated suitable for all ages, according to Bouchaud's research.
What the tech companies say
Apple removed 19 apps after Wired contacted it. An Apple spokesperson told Wired the apps followed its rules when reviewed, then their makers swapped in pornographic content afterward. Google had removed most of the apps before Wired contacted it and did not comment, the magazine said. Meta said it acted against 11,600 ad accounts and blocked 209 apps from advertising.
They don't expect enforcement to catch up, and so far it hasn't.
What it means for you
Apps can change after they are approved, so an app store listing is not a guarantee of safety. Parents may want to check what AI photo apps children use, and anyone who finds a fake explicit image of themselves can report it to the platform and to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's Take It Down service for minors.
Source: Wired investigation by Matt Burgess, Nov. 2, 2026.