What happened

Elizabeth Laraki discovered that an advertisement for the Upscale Conf 2024 showed her blouse unbuttoned and a bra digitally added.

Laraki initially said she was horrified by her own sloppiness and then shocked when she figured someone had manipulated her photo to unbutton her blouse. 

The conference organiser acknowledged that a social media manager had used a cropped version of her photo from their website and then used Adobe's Generative Expand system to make the photo look taller and compatible for the design, extend the edges and fill in new space.

Why it happened

The manipulation of Laraki's image to unbutton her blouse appeared to have been inadvertent but revealed that the system's tendency to stereotype people, notably women.

It also showed inadequate oversight of the system's outputs for the conference by senior managers.