Amnesty International slammed for AI images of ‘human rights abuses’

Amnesty International has come under fire for using fake images of what it claimed were “human rights abuses” in Colombia.

The campaigning charity used AI-generated images to commemorate the two-year anniversary of protests in the South American nation against tax rises imposed by its left-wing government during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although Amnesty had access to original images and video of the April 2021 protests, the organisation instead used computer-generated images to illustrate Twitter posts about the incident.

Amnesty International used artificial intelligence to create an image it said represented human rights abused during the 2021 protests in Colombia.  The caption read: “Why the Colombian police need comprehensive reform”.Credit: Screenshot/Amnesty International

One featured a woman draped in a flag being manhandled by two police officers in riot gear, captioned: “Why the Colombian police need comprehensive reform”.

The flag in the picture featured the three colours of the Colombian flag but in the wrong order.

While the pictures were labelled as artificially generated, the use of the technology to illustrate real-world events drew criticism.

Jake Moore, global cybersecurity advisor with Eset, said: “Using generative artificial images simply weakens true reporting even if these were made to amplify a point.

“When people realise a creation is used to plant an image in people’s minds, it completely diminishes confidence going forward and ruins credibility.

“Although a picture paints a thousand words, a fake picture will never be authentic and immediately removes trust.”

The images, originally posted on Twitter by Amnesty’s Norwegian branch, have since been deleted.

Fake news: An AI-generated image of former US president Donald Trump.Credit: Twitter/@EliotHiggins

An Amnesty spokesman said: “On this latest occasion, Amnesty International decided to use AI-generated images as a means of depicting victims while still protecting their identities.

“The intention was for this artwork to serve as a symbolic example that highlights the fear that many of the victims still feel about publicly denouncing the repression they suffered.”

The spokesman added that some Colombians were being targeted for criminal prosecution by local authorities as a result of appearing in images of the protests.

Amnesty has claimed that the Colombian police’s Special Operations Group “used lethal weapons, such as Tavor 5.56mm rifles, against peaceful protesters” during the 2021 demonstrations, resulting in deaths.

Original reports from the protests showed still images and video footage of protesters as well as pictures of police wearing body armour and carrying riot shields.

The error in the colours of the Colombian flag highlights the shortcomings of AI technology, which is being rapidly adopted in both the public and private sectors.

Experts have warned that AI image generation technology is capable of “hallucinating” wrong answers and false details.

AI tools are known for generating apparent deformities when tasked with creating pictures of humans.

Visual clues that an image was generated by AI include distortions of hands and ears.

Full Fact, the fact-checking business, says that one common AI tell-tale feature is that “some digits [appear] to float in mid-air or emerge from hands in an unusual way”.

The Telegraph, London