Michigan credit union CEO ousted over AI-edited ‘Lake America’ family photo
A Michigan credit union CEO lost her job after posting an AI-altered family photo showing sweaters reading 'Lake America,' the name Donald Trump ordered used for Lake Ontario, sparking backlash in Canada.
Family First Credit Union, based in Saginaw, Michigan, has announced that CEO Jane Smith is no longer employed there. The move follows controversy over a photo Smith posted showing her family wearing sweaters digitally altered, reportedly using ChatGPT, to display the phrase 'Lake America.'
The photo was taken at Detroit airport as the family headed to Halifax, Canada. Smith shared it on Facebook on September 11, the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, with a caption asking whether Canada would like the sweaters and ending with 'Lol lol.' 'Lake America' has been the name Trump ordered US federal agencies to use for Lake Ontario since late August, amid his trade dispute with Canada.
The post went viral and drew criticism from people in Canada, who found it disrespectful — particularly given Halifax's role in hosting thousands of stranded airline passengers diverted there when US airspace closed on September 11, 2001. The post was later deleted.
As backlash grew, Smith apologized in an interview with Detroit station WJRT, saying she had not intended to make a political statement but was 'poking fun' at the lake's renaming. She said she understood why people in Halifax would find the post highly offensive and expressed regret for any post that made someone feel undervalued as a human being.
Despite the apology, the credit union confirmed it had parted ways with Smith effective immediately, naming Jason Acosta as interim successor. In its statement, the organization apologized for the concern and pain caused to its members and community, saying its responsibility was to act in the credit union's best interest and maintain members' trust.
The controversy unfolded amid wider condemnation of Trump's executive order renaming Lake Ontario. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney noted the lake's name derives from the Indigenous Wendat language and predates both Canadian Confederation and US independence. Several US governors in the Great Lakes region also rejected the renaming, and Trump's order carries no legal authority over Canada's portion of the lake or international maps.
