N.L. arts and tourism minister says she regrets posting image altered with AI to social media

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Newfoundland and Labrador’s arts and tourism minister says she regrets posting an image she altered with artificial intelligence to mark National Tourism Week.

Andrea Barbour made a social media post Tuesday with a photo of herself in front of The Rooms in St. John’s alongside statistics related to the economic effect of tourism in the province.

But, as commenters pointed out, something wasn’t quite right about the image of the cultural institution.

The proportions of the building were slightly off, and the iconic caribou was missing. It was instead replaced by a logo that said “the ROOMS,” accompanied by a blue swish.

A photo of a woman in front of a building, alongside statistics. — Barbour posted this image to her Facebook page Tuesday. People quickly pointed out in the comments that The Rooms does not actually look like it appears here. Barbour later confirmed she used AI to alter the image. (Andrea Barbour/Facebook)

Barbour’s Facebook post was met by swift criticism online and in the House of Assembly, where Liberal Gander MHA Bettina Ford accused the minister of using AI to alter an image.

“I’m not sure what she’s talking about,” Barbour said in response.

She gave a similar answer when Ford elaborated, arguing that the altered image removed a piece of art that N.L. holds dear.

The caribou silhouette visible outside The Rooms represents Newfoundland’s role in the First World War — particularly the Battle of Beaumont-Hamel in 1916. Members of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment wore a caribou head on their badges during the war.

Caribou sculptures are also scattered across Europe to memorialize the sites the Royal Newfoundland Regiment traversed more than 100 years ago.

“That symbol means a lot to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. So I was really shocked to be honest,” Ford told reporters Tuesday afternoon.

The caribou silhouette is seen at the museum’s entrance in this file photo. (Wendy Rose)

Barbour later confirmed to reporters she used AI for the post. She explained she was in a rush to acknowledge National Tourism Week, and put a real image of herself in front of The Rooms through ChatGPT along with some statistics to create a graphic.

“I don’t really know a lot about AI, to tell you the truth. It was something that I just used to combine two photos,’ Barbour said.

“I see what happened there and I regret putting that photo up. And I feel really bad, being an artist myself.”

Barbour has deleted the altered photo of The Rooms. She created a new post with the original image including the statistics graphic.

The province’s Liberal party was quick to take to social media, posting a side-by-side image of Barbour’s Rooms photos so followers can “spot the difference.”

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