Summary
State Rep. Dave Severin said an AI-generated image circulated on Facebook that combined his photograph and Governor JB Pritzker’s, added thumbs-up gestures and an arm around him, and was used to falsely imply Severin endorsed Pritzker in the gubernatorial race. Severin says the true photo was of four people at the Du Quoin State Fair and that the altered image is “100% bogus and non-factual.”
Severin told reporters he is concerned people may mistake the manipulated image for a real photo and that the fake could negatively affect perceptions of his work and the assistance efforts of Dan Summers; the report does not specify who created or originally shared the AI image or any formal consequences that followed.