Business · updated 1h ago · 2 min read
Family First Credit Union Removes CEO Jane Smith After AI “Lake America” Sweatshirt Photo
Jane Smith is no longer with Family First Credit Union, effective immediately. Jason Acosta named interim CEO following her departure.
Whether the AI label was present when the public repost happened.
8 of 10 outlets skipped it: she said she received death threats and cut the trip short.
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Banking Dive
“but her sister, however, took a screen shot, added the caption ‘Like our sweatshirts? [S17] Not sure Canada will. [S18] Lol lol,’ and reposted it publicly with no AI label”Read the original ↗
One says “AI marker”, another “AI label”, but both pin blame on the sister’s repost.
CEO Removed After Viral AI
Jane Smith, the former CEO of Family First Credit Union in Saginaw, Michigan, is no longer an employee of the credit union, with Chief Operations Officer Jason Acosta appointed interim CEO effective immediately.
“Jane Smith, the former CEO, ‘is no longer an employee.’”
Family First Credit Union said it “is no longer an employee” in a letter to members, and the organization also posted an apology that said it “sincerely apologize[s] for the concern, disappointment and pain this situation has caused our members and community.”
Smith posted an AI-edited photo on her private Facebook account showing her and her family wearing “Lake America” sweatshirts, and the caption read: “Like our sweat shirts? Not sure Canada will. Lol lol.”
Smith told WJRT-TV that she and her family discussed President Donald Trump’s move to rename Lake Ontario “Lake America,” then used ChatGPT to digitally add matching “Lake America” sweatshirts to a photograph taken at Detroit Metropolitan Airport.
Family First said it did not specify whether Smith resigned or was dismissed, and it did not explicitly say the AI-generated image was the reason for her departure.
Smith Says It Was Humor
Smith said she “weren’t trying to make a political statement,” and she described the post as “kind of poking fun” at the fact that “one of the Great Lakes’ names were getting changed.”
Smith also told ABC12 News that “We never had actual sweatshirts. We never wore sweatshirts,” and she said her family cut short its Canadian trip after she received death threats.
Family First’s board criticized the post as unacceptable, and the credit union told WJRT-TV that it “unequivocally disapproves and rejects the content of the social media post involving our CEO, Jane Smith.”
The controversy followed Trump’s executive order renaming Lake Ontario to “Lake America,” and the dispute drew backlash from Canada including Prime Minister Mark Carney’s position that Canadians will continue to call it Lake Ontario.
The post went viral after Smith’s sister reposted a screenshot publicly without an AI label, and Smith said she had warned about the potential for AI-generated images to be mistaken for real photographs.
Trade War Backdrop
The “Lake America” dispute unfolded alongside a broader dispute over Trump’s decision to rename Lake Ontario in US federal usage, and the lake borders both the United States and Canada. Mark Carney said Canadians will continue to call it Lake Ontario, and the controversy also prompted three US lawmakers to introduce legislation seeking to prevent the renaming. Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston said, “We're into some real foolishness now,” and the backlash was tied to the political sensitivity of the proposed name change in Canada.
“Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has said Canadians will continue to call it Lake Ontario.”
The dispute also intersected with the U.S.-Canada trade fight, and Banking Dive said Trump’s effort to rename Lake Ontario has “arguably accelerated a spate of tariffs between the U.S. and Canada.” BFamily First’s board said Smith acted in a personal capacity during a family vacation rather than as an official representative, and the credit union said it was reviewing the situation before announcing Smith’s departure.