SAGINAW, Mich. — The CEO of Family First Credit Union is no longer with the institution after an AI-altered photograph appearing to show her family wearing “Lake America” sweatshirts prompted an online backlash and a public rebuke from the credit union’s board.
Jane Smith is no longer an employee, effective immediately, the credit union told WJRT. Chief Operating Officer Jason Acosta is serving as interim CEO. The $96.7-million credit union did not say whether Smith resigned or was dismissed, or give a reason for her departure.
The leadership change follows days of controversy over a photo Smith posted before a family trip to Halifax, Nova Scotia. Smith told WJRT that her family took a picture at Detroit Metropolitan Airport and used ChatGPT to make it appear they were wearing matching “Lake America” sweatshirts. They did not own or wear the sweatshirts, the news outlet reported.
According to a report by ABC 12 News, Smith was planning to head out for 10 day trip to Halifax in Nova Scotia, Canada with her family on September 11. Before boarding their flight at Halifax, the CEO says she and her family were discussing President Trump’s recent executive order to rename Lake Ontario to Lake America amid the trade war between the two countries.
The “Lake America” wording has political implications amid U.S.-Canada tensions. President Donald Trump has repeatedly suggested Canada should become part of the United States and has referred to the U.S.-Canada border as an “artificially drawn line.”
Initially Shared Privately
Smith said she posted the altered image to her private Facebook page with a label identifying it as AI-generated. Her sister then shared a screenshot publicly without the label, Smith told WJRT. The original post included the caption, “Like our sweatshirts? Not sure Canada will,” followed by “lol lol,” according to the account Smith gave the station.
“We weren’t trying to make a political statement,” Smith told WJRT. She said the family was “kind of poking fun” amid discussion of the “Lake America” name. Smith later described creating and sharing the image as an error in judgment.
As The CU Daily previously reported, Smith apologized after the image spread online. “It was insensitive, distasteful, and in poor judgment,” she said in a statement provided to WJRT. “Though the image did not depict a real event, I understand that the image was hurtful and offensive.”
Family First’s board issued its own statement, saying it “unequivocally disapproves and rejects” the post. Although Smith made it in a personal capacity during a family trip, the board said, “the post is unacceptable.” It said her conduct did not reflect the credit union’s values and that it was determining its next steps.
Death Threats Received
Smith subsequently told WJRT that her family cut short its trip after she received death threats. Reflecting on how viewers interpreted the altered photo as real, she said AI “can make people think something’s real that’s not.”
4 Responses
No being satirical, no political views unless someone deems them the correct political view, no freedom of expression. Got it.
What a shame for things to end this way. Have whatever opinion you want of what was done but turn the page and move on. This wasn’t deserving of death threats and one’s job.
If you lead a company you should be well aware of how sensitive the world is right now and maybe use critical thinking. This is why I post nothing on social media of a personal nature, there’s no upside only downside risk
Ridiculous. I hope she sues the pants off them. It’s not even a political statement. It’s at worst tacky. The Board got weak and bowed to some on social media who search for things they think others should be offended by. They didn’t have an upheaval of offended members, and that’s the only thing that should matter.
whether or not the shirts were real – it was still offensive. Secondly, she also made a comment about the wildfires saying Trump could buy real estate cheap in Canada. Real funny, aye? Making fun of a situation where acres & acres of land lay in charred ruins, people’s homes burnt to the ground and loss of employment…to say nothing about the environment and all the animals who were likely killed or injured so badly they will die.