Incident 633: Nine Network's AI Alters Lawmaker Georgie Purcell's Image Inappropriately

Responded
Description: The Nine Network used Photoshop's Generative Expand AI tool to resize an image of lawmaker Georgie Purcell, inadvertently altering her attire to appear more revealing. This error, claimed to result from the AI's automation, led to public criticism and an apology from the network.

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Alleged: Adobe developed an AI system deployed by Nine Network, which harmed Georgie Purcell.

Incident Stats

Incident ID
633
Report Count
17
Incident Date
2024-01-28
Editors
Daniel Atherton
Photoshop outrage after image of MP's body doctored by Nine News
theleader.com.au · 2024
Anna Houlahan post-incident response

"What gives?" Animal Justice Party MP Georgie Purcell has criticised an Australian news organisation for photoshopping a picture of her outfit and body to appear more curvaceous.

Ms Purcell, the youngest female MP in Victoria's parliament, …

Australian News Channel Apologises To MP For Editing Body, Outfit In Pic
ndtv.com · 2024
Agence France-Presse post-incident response

Sydney: An Australian television news channel apologised "unreservedly" Tuesday for altering a photo of a state lawmaker, who complained it gave her "enlarged boobs" and a more revealing dress.

Georgie Purcell, upper house member of the Vic…

Victorian MP Georgie Purcell criticises Nine News for ‘sexist’ image editing to make outfit more revealing
theguardian.com · 2024

The Victorian upper house MP Georgie Purcell has lashed Nine News in Melbourne for using an image edited to make her breasts look bigger and expose her midriff, which the network blamed on “automation by Photoshop”.

But Adobe has cast doubt…

Georgie Purcell: Nine News Melbourne's doctored MP image causes sexism fury
bbc.com · 2024

An Australian news channel has come under fire after it doctored an image of a female state MP that enlarged her breasts and exposed her midriff.

The photo of Georgie Purcell appeared in a Nine News bulletin after she criticised the Victori…

Outrage after Australian news channel uses doctored image of woman MP
independent.co.uk · 2024

An Australian news channel has been criticised for broadcasting a doctored image of a Victoria MP with enlarged breasts and an exposed midriff.

The doctored image of Victorian upper house MP Georgie Purcell appeared on a Nine News bulletin …

Australian news network apologises for 'graphic error' after photo of MP made more revealing
news.sky.com · 2024
Sky News post-incident response

An Australian news network has apologised after a picture of a female MP was allegedly modified to appear more revealing ahead of her appearance on a programme.

In what Nine News Melbourne called a "graphic error", Georgie Purcell claimed t…

Georgie Purcell: Nine apologises for Photoshop error
smh.com.au · 2024
Calum Jaspan post-incident response

Channel Nine has apologised for altering an image of Victorian Animal Justice Party MP Georgie Purcell shown in a segment of its news broadcast on Monday night, attributing the error to an AI tool in picture editing platform Photoshop.

The …

Nine apologises for using digitally altered image of Animal Justice Party MP Georgie Purcell
abc.net.au · 2024
Australian Broadcasting Corporation post-incident response
  • In short: Channel Nine has apologised for using a digitally altered image of Animal Justice Party MP Georgie Purcell, which they claim was "inadvertently altered by Photoshop".
  • Ms Purcell says the situation highlights the "insidious" way w…
Australian TV news channel sparks outrage for editing photo of lawmaker who said her "body and outfit" were photoshopped
cbsnews.com · 2024
CBS News post-incident response

An Australian television news channel apologized "unreservedly" Tuesday for altering a photo of a state lawmaker, who complained it gave her "enlarged boobs" and a more revealing dress.

Georgie Purcell, an upper house member of the Victoria…

Nine Network's AI Alters Lawmaker's Image Inappropriately
washingtonpost.com · 2024

An Australian news channel apologized after a female lawmaker criticized its use of an image that had been edited to show her in a more revealing outfit.

Georgie Purcell, who represents the Animal Justice Party in the state parliament of Vi…

News Outlet Blames Photoshop for Making Australian Lawmaker’s Photo More Revealing
nytimes.com · 2024

A lawmaker in the Australian state of Victoria sat down to watch the nightly news on Monday, expecting to see herself featured as a prominent opponent of duck hunting.

But the member of Victoria's Parliament, Georgie Purcell, noticed that i…

An AI-generated image of a Victorian MP raises wider questions on digital ethics
abc.net.au · 2024

It was an image broadcast for just a few moments on a Melbourne TV news bulletin, but it's since attracted international attention.

The digitally altered image of Victorian Animal Justice Party MP Georgie Purcell used to introduce a story o…

Adobe confirms edited image of Georgie Purcell would have required ‘human intervention’
womensagenda.com.au · 2024
Olivia Cleal post-incident response

Leading photo editing software organisation Adobe has debunked Nine News' apology to Georgie Purcell, after a sexist edited image of her was used in the nightly news bulletin.

On Tuesday, the Victorian MP from the Animal Justice Party calle…

Why I’m not done fighting – for animal rights, and for women
theguardian.com · 2024
Georgie Purcell post-incident response

Monday was the day that duck shooting should have been banned in Victoria. Instead it was the day we saw the government betray parliamentary processes, our wildlife and our community. And somehow, that day ended with a bizarre form of sexis…

Georgie Purcell photoshop scandal shows why transparency is crucial when it comes to AI
theguardian.com · 2024

It's been five years since Australia's last Photoshop scandal, involving then-prime minister Scott Morrison's white shoes, but it feels like a world away.

This week the Animal Justice Party MP Georgie Purcell had her photo edited to enlarge…

Human Error 404: Stop Blaming "The Robots" for Purcell Photo Debacle
cdotrends.com · 2024

AI is rarely out of the news, and last week's clickbait in Australia was about doctoring a photograph of Victorian politician Georgie Purcell.

In the nightly news broadcast by Channel 9 for a story on duck hunting, a photograph of the young…

Nine slammed for ‘AI editing’ a Victorian MP’s dress
lsj.com.au · 2024

Channel Nine published an altered image of Victorian MP Georgie Purcell that showed her in a midriff-exposing tank top. The outfit was actually a dress. How can news media use AI responsibly?

Purcell chastised the channel for the image mani…

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