A Republican state lawmaker and the governor took a photo with a constituent at the DuQuoin State Fair after its opening, which apparently was used to create an AI-generated photo of the two officials that sparked threatening comments about the lawmaker.
Republican state Rep. Dave Severin said he connected with a constituent of his, Dan “Curley” Summers, who helps feed homeless residents in Benton, while at the DuQuoin State Fair on Aug. 28.
Severin introduced the man to the nearby Gov. J.B. Pritzker at his request, and the group took a photo.
The photo, however, was apparently manipulated using AI after being posted online, changed to depict Severin and Pritzker with their arms over one another’s shoulders while smiling and giving a thumbs up.
The J.B. Pritzker gubernatorial campaign didn’t respond to a request for comment prior to publication, but Pritzker previously shared his thoughts on the use of AI image generation for political purposes in June.
Public sentiment in the comments of Severin’s post addressing the false image largely supported him, with many of the nearly 200 comments expressing they wouldn’t see an issue with the second image if it were real.
Story from Illinois Radio Network
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