With what appears to be an extra finger on his right hand and no actual arrow in his bow, the man featured in the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection‘s Facebook post did not look like your typical hunter.
Agency officials said workers used Canva AI to generate the image of a man shooting turkey for a social media post that was shared on Friday.
Users on Reddit and Facebook pointed to the gibberish words on the hunter’s hat and vest, and the feathered game that appeared to be wearing a safety vest of its own.
“We are working with a new graphic design software to craft our social media posts,” DEEP said in a statement. “We did not apply our usual level of scrutiny to the image used in this particular post before posting it.”
DEEP did not disclose using AI in the original post and took it down on Monday afternoon, replacing it with a “better and less confusing” image.
One Facebook user criticized DEEP’s choice to use AI given its known damage to the environment. Several users raised concerns about giving a job to AI rather than a local photographer.
“It is not common practice for DEEP Communications to use AI generated images. We typically use real photos obtained in the field, or stock images, for our social media posts wherever possible,” DEEP said in a statement.
Connecticut agencies, including “all vendors and third-party stakeholders,” are required to follow the AI Responsible Use Framework. It says “when using AI, State agencies shall confirm that the AI produces accurate and verifiable information. This framework includes procedures on how best to audit and verify AI outputs to ensure clear and accurate information. AI is considered ‘accurate’ to the extent that the AI-provided result is correct and expected.”
The framework acknowledges that AI can be used in “generating text and visual content,” but it does not provide particular guidance on agencies’ use of AI-generated images. In its statement, DEEP said, “future uses of AI in the creation of images will be noted with the post.”
By law, the state of Connecticut must share an annual inventory of AI tools used. Canva, a design platform that launched its AI suite earlier this year, was not included in Connecticut’s 2024 list. Tools used in 2024 included “a small pilot” of ChatGPT, but no tools for the explicit purpose of image creation were listed in the document.
Chas Catania, the treasurer of Friends of Connecticut Sportsmen, said while the post was “a little bit embarrassing,” he “[did] not think it’s going to create any safety issues.”
“I think what’s very important is that we don’t lose the underlying message, and that is, you know, they’re encouraging safety,” Catania said.
DEEP’s original post sought to inform the public about rules for the fall hunting season starting on Sept. 15, including wearing fluorescent orange. “We should be wearing orange, or be thinking about whether we should be wearing orange,” said Catania.
Angela Eichhorst is a reporter for the Connecticut Mirror. Copyright 2025 @ CT Mirror (ctmirror.org).