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The Spokane city government and police department unintentionally distributed AI-generated images, including a fabricated police rescue photo and a flyer that plagiarized a local artist's work.
A Spokane Parks and Recreation employee reportedly used a purported generative AI image tool to create a flyer promoting the restored Great Northern Clocktower chimes. The flyer reportedly reproduced elements of artist Matthew Clinard's commercially sold Clocktower sticker and was distributed by the mayor's office without the city-required AI disclosure. After Clinard complained publicly, the city removed the image and apologized, then began considering AI-policy and employee-training reforms.
Domain classification, causal taxonomy, severity scores, and national security assessments were LLM-classified and may contain errors.
AI systems capable of creating economic or cultural value, including through reproduction of human innovation or creativity (e.g., art, music, writing, coding, invention), destabilizing economic and social systems that rely on human effort. The ubiquity of AI-generated content may lead to reduced appreciation for human skills, disruption of creative and knowledge-based industries, and homogenization of cultural experiences.
Also classified as
The Spokane Police Department inadvertently distributed a fabricated, AI-generated photo of an officer and a rescued dog to the public and media.
The AI-generated clocktower flyer directly copied and devalued the unique style and design of local artist Clinard, impacting his livelihood as a working artist.
Human
Due to a decision or action made by humans
Unintentional
Due to an unexpected outcome from pursuing a goal
Post-deployment
Occurring after the AI model has been trained and deployed
The incidents were caused by human errors in using and distributing AI-generated images without proper verification or disclosure, with no intent to deceive or plagiarize.
Added categories peak at 2: Minor (Epistemic Harm, Inferred)
A localized incident in Spokane, Washington, where municipal employees unintentionally distributed AI-generated images, including a fake police rescue photo and a plagiarized promotional flyer. The incident highlights local policy compliance and verification gaps but carries negligible national security implications.
The report describes employees using generative AI to create images based on simple prompts, which functions as a tool performing specific image generation tasks.
Risk Level 3. Limited Risk: AI-generated content such as deepfakes. The report describes the use of AI to generate images that were passed off as real, highlighting the need for transparency and disclosure.
The AI systems were used to generate a fake photo of a dog and a retro-style flyer of a clocktower.
The report provides clear, detailed, and unconflicting accounts of both the police photo incident and the clocktower flyer incident, including direct quotes from the affected artist and city officials.
None
Technology
Highly Convincing Image Generation
AI models generate highly realistic images that can easily deceive observers.
Presence of AI Hallucinations
AI output contained weird artifacts like a flintlock pistol and fake brands.
Algorithmic Plagiarism
AI model scoured internet and copied artist's style without authorization.
Data Inputs
Unconsented Training Data
AI model was trained on copyrighted artists' work without their permission.
Vague Prompting Inputs
Employee input vague prompts ('70s vibe') leading to unintended plagiarism.
Human Factors
Lack of Critical Examination
Personnel failed to notice obvious AI artifacts in the police photo.
Blind Trust in Source
Supervisor and PIO trusted the source of the image without verification.
Lack of Employee Awareness
Parks employee did not realize the tool would plagiarize existing art.
Process and Methods
Absence of Verification Steps
No check-and-balance procedure existed before sharing images publicly.
Lack of AI Disclosure
Employee failed to disclose AI use as required by internal city policy.
Inadequate Image Screening
No formal review process to screen outgoing media for AI generation.
Management
Inadequate Employee Training
Lack of professional development on ethical AI use and identification.
Weak Policy Enforcement
City policy requiring AI disclosure was not actively enforced or known.
Poor Risk Assessment
Management failed to assess risks of using AI for public communications.
Regulatory Environment
Lack of Copyright Protection
No strong legal framework to prevent AI models from scraping artists' work.
Unregulated Generative AI Tools
Lack of federal or local standards governing the deployment of image tools.
