A Michigan CEO who drew backlash last week for posting an AI photo of her and her family in sweatshirts that read “Lake America” is no longer employed by her credit union.
A statement posted to Family First Credit Union’s website this week, addressed to its members, stated that Jane Smith is “no longer an employee ... effective immediately.”
Jason Acosta, the credit union’s chief operations officer, is currently serving as interim CEO.
On Facebook, the credit union posted another statement on Thursday reiterating the same, along with an apology to its members.
“We sincerely apologize for the concern, disappointment and pain this situation has caused our members and community,” the statement reads. It acknowledged that members may “hold different perspectives about this decision.”
Neither statement addressed if Smith left of her own accord or was let go. The statements also did not address if the decision was connected to the photo she posted.
Last week, Smith posted a photo to her personal Facebook page of herself and her family in Canada dressed in sweatshirts that read “Lake America.” She confirmed to Michigan-based news station ABC12 that she had shared the photo while on a family trip to Halifax.
She stated that the photo was generated using AI and that she and her family never actually wore sweatshirts with the phrase.
She added that she had shared the photo with a tag labelling it as AI but her sister had shared a screenshot without the label.
In a statement to ABC12 last week, she apologized for the post and said it was “in poor judgement.”
“It should never ... have been created or shared. Though the image did not depict a real event, I understand that the image was hurtful and offensive,” the statement read.
“I made a mistake. I own that mistake, and I am committed to learning from it,” the statement added.
The credit union issued its own statement to ABC12 that same week, in which it disavowed Smith’s post.
“Although the post involved Ms. Smith in her personal capacity in connection with a family vacation, the post is unacceptable. … We support and respect our Canadian neighbors, and we completely disavow Ms. Smith’s actions, which were undertaken without the authorization or knowledge of the Credit Union,” the statement read.
Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America” following a breakdown in trade negotiations with Canada.