A politician in the Netherlands who won a council seat in a local election has denied that her publicity photograph was AI-generated.
The photo that appeared in a local newspaper of 59-year-old Patricia Reichman looks very different from what Reichman actually looks like. In the official candidate photo that she personally provided, she looks much younger and has different features.
Reichman has denied using AI, instead telling Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad (AD) that she used unspecified software to boost the resolution.

People reports that the controversy took yet another turn when the local newspaper, AD, discovered that Reichman doesn’t even live in the neighborhood that elected her. Reichman insists she does live there but has two residences.
FiredThe party she stood for, Leefbaar Rotterdam, which translates to Livable Rotterdam, issued a statement announcing she is being expelled from the party.
“The photo has clearly been heavily edited with AI and is not a realistic representation,” the statement reads. “We wish to emphasize that this edited photo was not used in campaign materials by Leefbaar Rotterdam or in publications by the Municipality of Rotterdam. They sent this photo exclusively to the neighborhood newspaper — in a personal capacity.”
Leefbaar Rotterdam adds that it requested Reichman relinquish her seat, but she has refused, and it therefore has no choice but to expel her.
“When the information provided during the job interview proves not to correspond with reality, there is no basis of trust to continue working together,” the statement concludes.