A lawmaker in the Australian state of Victoria, Georgie Purcell, was surprised to see an edited photo of herself used on 9News, portraying her without the tattoos on her midriff and with her dress turned into a crop top and skirt. This prompted responses criticizing the editing as sexist and objectifying. The news outlet, 9News, apologized to Ms. Purcell, blaming the changes on a “graphics error”. However, concerns were raised that the modifications likely required human intervention. The incident highlighted that the use of A.I. without strong editorial controls can result in significant errors and replicate existing biases. Ms. Purcell believes that the edits would not have been allowed if it were other female lawmakers, and sees it as a starting point for a conversation about the mistreatment of women in public life.
