AI expert says ‘Cat in the Hat’ school threat trend is ‘tip of the iceberg’

JESSAMINE COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT) - Nicholasville police, with assistance from the FBI, charged a juvenile in connection with a “Cat in the Hat” post that targeted Jessamine County schools.

The trend involves someone generating an AI image or video of the Dr. Seuss character threatening individuals, school districts or counties.

Over the weekend, Jessamine County Schools warned parents about the trend, saying threatening posts were targeting some district schools. The district did not identify the schools or detail the posts.

Sunday, Nicholasville police said a juvenile was charged in connection with a post.

Expert says trend will grow

Jason Rothermund is a retired Lexington police special operations sergeant who now owns a company that helps businesses navigate AI tools.

“We shouldn’t be surprised that a simplistic, generative image is causing this kind of disruption, because this is just, in my opinion, the tip of the iceberg,” Rothermund said.

Rothermund said as AI content becomes harder to distinguish from reality, communities need to know when to report something and take potential threats seriously.

“There’s been a lot of cases where parents have gotten involved and said something that has led to stopping a mass shooting, and this is no different,” Rothermund said.

Rothermund said given the growing use of AI, he predicts law enforcement agencies will develop roles focused on addressing issues like this in the future.

“I think you’re gonna see a legislative effort, an information-sharing effort, and a true concerted effort from law enforcement,” Rothermund said.

Rothermund hopes this case shows how serious these types of posts can be.