SALINE COUNTY, Ark. — The Saline County Sheriff’s Office said it used AI to alter the background of a drug bust photo after the image raised questions on social media about whether the arrest and evidence were real, KATV reported.
The department stated that the edits were only meant to make the patrol room where the photo was shot look cleaner. The initial post shows evidence garnered from a traffic stop, including 2,800 grams of marijuana, ecstasy pills, cash and drug paraphernalia.
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A “before” image shared by the department shows that the tool removed debris from atop a file cabinet in the background of the image.
However, the edited image also includes some visible changes to the evidence laid out on a conference table.
The sheriff’s office issued a statement about the photo after social media commenters pointed out that elements of the photo appeared to be AI-generated.
“We are sorry for making anyone think anything other than what was intended. The drugs, guns, drug paraphernalia, and money are all real,” the statement reads.
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