Dutch politician expelled after using AI-enhanced photo for campaign

Rotterdam. A female representative in the Dutch city of Rotterdam has become embroiled in a major controversy after using an artificial intelligence (AI) generated image that made her appear unnaturally young for her election campaign.

59-year-old councilor Patricia Remak edited her official candidate photo to such an extent that she looked completely different and unrecognizable from her actual appearance. She has faced intense criticism after the stark contrast between the photo and her real-life appearance was made public.

Remak claimed that she only used an online tool to increase the pixels because the quality (resolution) of the photo printed in the local newspaper was low. Speaking to the Dutch newspaper 'Algemeen Dagblad', she argued that the photo was indeed her own and that her face currently looks different due to medication.

However, after her real and edited photos went viral side-by-side on social media, people labeled her a 'fake avatar' created by AI. Remak has continued to insist that she looks young in real life, claiming that when she goes out with her son, people mistake her for his 'girlfriend'.

Nevertheless, this claim has been flatly rejected by her political party, Leefbaar Rotterdam. The party concluded that the photo was clearly heavily edited by AI and did not represent reality.

The party asked her to resign on ethical grounds, and after she refused, she was ultimately expelled from the party. 'When the information provided in interviews and documents does not match reality, the basis of trust for working together is lost,' the party stated in a press release.