On the Groen (NDR: The Greens) list in Tienen for the next local elections, a candidate of Afghan origin is presented with an artificial avatar. Leila Puthanah, a 32-year-old employee of a local second-hand shop, chose an AI-generated image instead of a conventional photo. (…)
Leila, 32, came to Belgium a few years ago after fleeing her home country of Afghanistan. ‘The reason why Leila doesn’t want to respond is that she is completely helpless by the situation,’ explains Marthe Mennes, spokesperson for Groen. ‘She is completely devastated by what is happening to her. I find that very sad.’
‘The fact that she doesn’t want to be photographed has absolutely nothing to do with any religious reasons, I don’t understand where this is coming from,’ Mennes continued. 7sur7.be
After a check on the Groen website, her face has now simply disappeared from the photo book.
The AI is still there on the party’s Facebook page:
