Global Markets
Home›Global Markets›Trade & Tariffs›State Department map error during AIDS 2026 stirs atte…
State Department map error during AIDS 2026 stirs attendees in Brazil
The map shown at the conference was analyzed as likely created with OpenAI tools, and the State Department said it took full responsibility for a hastily changed slide deck.
A U.S. State Department slide deck displayed an Africa map with major country mislabeling during a presentation at the AIDS 2026 conference in Rio de Janeiro, triggering screenshots and online sharing among attendees, according to Reuters.
Reuters reviewed video footage of the presentation and found the map included an artificial intelligence watermark consistent with images made using OpenAI tools, prompting the slide producer to begin investigating the report, the outlet said.
The map portrayed Nigeria as landlocked in the Sahara Desert, relocated Mozambique to the Horn of Africa, and placed Ivory Coast on the opposite side of the continent, based on Reuters’ analysis.
The State Department said it took full responsibility for the confusion, adding that the map was produced by a team member who hastily changed the slide deck before the event, while screenshots first appeared in a Substack post by AIDS expert Emily Bass and spread widely on LinkedIn, Reuters reported.