Jane Smith AI image incident — Sep 2024
A CEO faced backlash and death threats after a family photo featuring AI-generated Lake America sweatshirts went viral and was perceived as an insult
- Incident date
- Sep 2024
- Target
- Jane Smith
In September 2024, a viral Facebook photo showing a Michigan family wearing "Lake America" sweatshirts triggered intense public backlash and death threats. The image, which depicted the group at an airport, was interpreted as a political provocation following a controversial U.S. executive order to rename Lake Ontario. The incident resulted in the family cutting their trip to Halifax short.
What happened
The controversy began when Jane Smith, CEO of Family First Credit Union, created an image using generative AI to add "Lake America" branding to sweatshirts worn by her and her family members in a photograph. Smith originally posted the image to her private Facebook page with an AI disclaimer, intending it as a joke about the real-world renaming of the Great Lake.
However, the situation escalated when Smith’s sister re-posted the image publicly without the AI warning or context. The post quickly went viral, drawing sharp criticism from Canadians who viewed the altered clothing as a disrespectful political statement. The backlash intensified online, leading to death threats against Smith and her family. In response, Smith apologized, stating that the sweatshirts were never real and that the image was "insensitive, distasteful and in poor judgment." The board of directors at Family First Credit Union subsequently issued a statement disapproving of the post and affirming their respect for Canadian neighbours.