Photo of 6-fingered woman shows N.L. government needs to 'tighten up' AI policy, Wakeham says - CBC
An AI-altered image posted on the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador's Facebook page prompted calls to tighten AI use policies after it depicted a woman with six fingers.
- Incident date
- May 2026
- Target
- Government of Newfoundland and Labrador
A public service announcement posted to the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador's Facebook page included an AI-altered image. The altered image, intended to encourage vaccinations, depicted a woman with six fingers, leading to the image's prompt removal.
What happened
The image was created using Adobe Photoshop, which contains an AI component used for editing and resizing photos. According to a statement from the provincial government, the editing process distorted the image, and the error was not caught during review. Premier Tony Wakeham stated that the province has policies around AI use, but that the government is working to ensure they are enforced. This incident follows a previous instance in April when Tourism Minister Andrea Barbour posted an AI-altered image. Opposition leaders have criticized the government's handling of AI, calling for updated policies and legislation.