A Florida school board candidate is under fire for using an AI-generated photo featuring Black supporters to boost his campaign run.

Details on school board candidate Clarence James’ AI-generated content

Clarence James is running to replace the current school board chair, Charlotte Joyce, in Duval County Public Schools’ District 6. He recently shared a series of photos on his Facebook page promoting a fish fry at a local church, according to Action News Jax.

One of the photos James shared was of himself and two other men surrounded by what appeared to be a group of Black supporters.

At first glance, the photo appeared authentic, but a closer look revealed that the crowd was not real.

Several of the faces in the image were distorted, with some having extra body parts, per Action News Jax.

When an Action News Jax reporter noticed the image, she commented on James’ Facebook post and questioned its authenticity.

The photo was quickly replaced with a different photo.

The news outlet later asked James whether voters could trust him to serve with integrity after he used an AI-generated photo depicting Black supporters who did not exist. He did not respond.

Artificial intelligence has also been used by other candidates

James is not the first candidate in Florida to use AI-generated content in a local government election campaign.

Last week, an AI-generated video was shared by an account for Florida gubernatorial candidate Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, according to the Miami Herald.

The roughly one-minute video showed his opponent, fellow Republican and Congressman Byron Donalds, being sworn in as Florida’s governor in 2027. One year later, however, the state is depicted as a dystopian wasteland, with Collins portrayed as the only person capable of saving it. Dressed as Captain America, he appears ready to take on Donalds and restore order.

As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly common in politics, a 2024 Florida law requires candidates to disclose when political advertisements contain AI-generated content.

In James’ case, he did not violate the state law regarding AI-generated content.