United KingdomProfessional services2023Amnesty International
AI-generated images promoting reports on Colombian protests
Amnesty International removed AI-generated campaign images after photographers challenged their credibility
Problem
Amnesty wanted to promote its reporting on Colombian police abuses while protecting protesters' identities. It said using recognizable photographs could expose participants to reprisals.
Approach
In 2023, Amnesty published AI-generated protest images on social media with AI disclosures. Photographers questioned whether synthetic depictions undermined the credibility of its documentation. Amnesty removed the images, saying the controversy distracted from victims' demands for justice. It said the images were not intended to pass as real photographs.
Results
No published figures
Takeaway
Amnesty addressed identity protection but encountered a separate credibility problem. Disclosing the images' artificial origin did not prevent objections to their use in an evidence-based campaign.
Categories
- Industry
- Professional services
- Business function
- Marketing and sales
- Innovation type
- Process innovation
- AI technology
- Generative AI
- Adoption
- Off-the-shelf tool or platform
- Goal
- Quality and risk
- Evidence
- Press reporting
Sources
Source summaries
Artnet reported the withdrawal and Amnesty's identity-protection explanation. It described AI disclosures and quoted Amnesty's statement that the images were not intended to be mistaken for photographs.
The Guardian reported the withdrawal. Amnesty said criticism was distracting from its message.
Full details are in the original sources.