Michigan Credit Union CEO Out After AI Image Sparks Backlash Over ‘Lake America’ Sweatshirts
The CEO of Family First, a Michigan-based credit union, is no longer with the company after she posted an AI-generated image of her family sporting “Lake America” sweatshirts during a trip to Canada, sparking outrage online.
In a groveling Facebook post announcing the ouster, Family First apologized “for the concern, disappointment and pain this situation has caused our members and community.”
“We understand that members of our community may hold different perspectives about this decision,” the credit union added in the Wednesday statement. “Our responsibility is to act in the best interest of the Credit Union, uphold the trust of our members and continue putting our community first.”
The offending sweatshirts surfaced Sept. 11, when Smith shared a pH๏τo of herself and some family members and used ChatGPT to make it look like they were wearing “Lake America” sweatshirts, according to ABC12 News, a local outlet.
The exec and her fam were at the start of a 10-day trip to Halifax, Nova Scotia.
“Like our sweatshirts? Not sure Canada will. Lol lol,” Smith captioned the Facebook post, which has since been deleted.
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The CEO of Family First, a Michigan-based credit union, is no longer with the company after she posted an AI-generated image of her family sporting “Lake America” sweatshirts during…