Rhiannon Morgan AI image incident — Oct 2026

Rhiannon Morgan, a 30-year-old from Bridgend, Wales, was shocked to find that an AI-edited photograph in her workplace newsletter had erased the visible signs of her rare genetic skin condition, epidermolytic ichthyosis. The alteration, which smoothed her skin and removed redness and hard skin on her hands, left Morgan feeling alienated from her own image.

What happened

The incident occurred when AI tools were utilized to rearrange images for a workplace newsletter. While the specific process behind the alteration remains unclear, the resulting image effectively removed the physical markers of Morgan's condition, which she noted had diminished the challenges she has overcome throughout her life. Morgan described the experience as a jarring moment where she did not recognize the person in the photograph, stating that the AI had effectively eradicated the history of her hospital appointments and personal experiences with bullying in seconds.

Canva, the platform involved, stated that it does not automatically retouch photos and emphasized a desire for everyone to feel accurately represented. The company has launched an investigation to understand the cause of the alteration but has not yet confirmed what triggered the change. This incident highlights broader concerns regarding how AI image-editing systems interpret and handle visible human differences. Experts suggest that AI tools often rely on patterns frequently found in their training data, which can lead to the marginalization of less common physical traits. The case underscores the ongoing tension between providing responsive editing tools and ensuring that AI does not treat visible differences as flaws requiring correction.