The Trump administration proudly touts support for American workers. It claims jobs are coming back to the U.S.
And yet the Labor Department launched its latest webpage using a fake image of a worker created by artificial intelligence, not an actual American worker.
The department on Tuesday posted the page ahead of the upcoming Labor Day holiday on September 1.
“This Labor Day, the U.S. Department of Labor is excited to kick off our official celebration of America’s 250th birthday,“ the page read. “For two and a half centuries, American workers have built this country into a shining symbol of freedom and opportunity.”
The dramatic image in the banner, front and center on the website, showed a welder working in front of an American flag with sparks flying through the air.
But it turns out that the stock image was created using artificial intelligence.
The Adobe write-up for the stock image on its website is titled “American Welder at Work Sparks Fly Patriotism Metal Fabrication Industry.”
It also clearly stated “Generated with AI” and noted “editorial use must not be misleading or deceptive.”
“On Labor Day, we pause to recognize the achievements, contributions, and sacrifices of the hardworking men and women who have carried on the American Dream for future generations,” the Labor Department website copy continued.
DOL’s post on X on Tuesday linking to the page read the department was “excited to kick off our official celebration of America’s 250th birthday and the workers who built this country into a shining symbol of freedom and opportunity.”
By Wednesday morning, the webpage had been updated with a new image of a different worker. The new file data was listed as “banner-updated.”
The Daily Beast reached out to the Labor Department for comment but did not hear back.
The federal Labor Day holiday celebrates the American labor movement and laborers’ contributions to the country.
It comes at a time when a growing number of American jobs are threatened by developing technology, including artificial intelligence.
In a video on the website page, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said she was excited to kick off their celebration of the country’s 250th birthday, “recognizing workers of the past, present and future” and touted Trump’s agenda to “make America skilled again.”
