A journalist has come under fire after admitting she used AI to alter a photograph of a woman wearing expensive designer accessories at a Michigan Democratic Party election night event.
Olivia Reingold, a staff writer at The Free Press, posted a photograph showing a woman's Valentino shoes and Chanel bag to X on November 3, without disclosing to her thousands of followers that she had used AI to enhance the image.
'So far at Abdul El-Sayed's election night event I've spotted Valentino heels, a Chanel bag, a Moncler jacket, Rolex watches, and a YSL bag among other designer items,' Reingold captioned the post.
Hundreds of users were quick to point out that the image appeared to be AI-generated, including Julia Black, another journalist at Vanity Fair, who stoked the flames even further.
'AI image detectors confirmed that yes, Olivia Reingold used an AI-generated image to make her point, without a drop of disclosure. Wild!!!!' wrote Black.
Reingold later admitted on Thursday to using ChatGPT to 'brighten and sharpen' what she said was a completely real image.
'After processing, it still shows these same things: a woman wearing Valentino shoes and a Chanel bag,' said the journalist.
'She is a real (and chic!) woman, really wearing those items. The observation holds.'
Olivia Reingold, a staff writer at The Free Press, came under fire after admitting she used AI to alter a photograph of a woman wearing expensive designer accessories at a Michigan Democratic Party election night event
Reingold posted a photograph showing a woman's Valentino shoes and Chanel bag to X on November 3. Users online were quick to point out that the image appeared to be AI-generated
Reingold later admitted on Thursday to using ChatGPT to 'brighten and sharpen' what she said was a completely real image
However, the clarification seemingly came too late for many users who questioned Reingold's ethics as a reporter.
'I'm sorry but you're allegedly a professional journalist; how are you not aware that AI "upscaling" completely confabulates missing detail?' asked one user on X. 'That's the only way it can work; there isn't hidden data to recover. This isn't a 2004 CSI episode where you just say "enhance photo."'
'That's not how it works. It takes your image, obliterates it, then recompiles it to a fully generated image. It's no longer the same image. You aren't adjusting the raw source, you're recompiling the original image into a whole new product. How can you be a journalist?' asked another.
'My career would be over (rightly so) if I ever tried to pass off an image touched with AI without telling people. Pathetically embarrassing, but not surprising from (narrows my eyes) Olivia Reingold,' a third said.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Reingold for comment.
Reingold, who joined The Free Press in 2022, was covering the Democratic Party's election night event as Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed celebrated his win.
El-Sayed, a Democrat, is set to become the first Muslim senator in US history after defeating Republican Mike Rogers in a fiercely contested and vicious race.
'After processing, it still shows these same things: a woman wearing Valentino shoes and a Chanel bag,' wrote Reingold to X, following the outrage
The 42-year-old progressive's victory was one of the political earthquakes on midterm election night that saw Democrats retake control of both the House and Senate in a devastating blow to Donald Trump during his final two years in the White House.
By Wednesday morning, a series of deep-red states had turned blue to help Democrats seize Congress, in results that could mark the beginning of the end for the MAGA era.
Rogers and conservative surrogates actively questioned El-Sayed's loyalties, alleging connections to groups like the Muslim Brotherhood, claims El-Sayed strongly rejected as Islamophobic attacks designed to distract from policy issues.
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