US gov and OpenAI mislabel map of Africa at global conference
3 hours ago
- A US government map displayed at the Aids 2026 conference in Rio de Janeiro mislabeled every African country, causing a stir among attendees.
- The map contained an AI watermark from OpenAI tools, indicating it was generated with AI, and the State Department took full responsibility for the error.
- Specific mislabelings included: Nigeria shown as landlocked in the Sahara, Mozambique moved to the Horn of Africa, and Côte d'Ivoire placed on the opposite side of the continent.
- Screenshots of the map went viral on LinkedIn, with one post gaining about 40,000 views, and an expert criticized the lack of care in creating the slide.
- The presentation was part of Pepfar, a US health initiative, and despite the map error, the State Department said the discussions were substantive and constructive.