A San Francisco Bay Area animal shelter said it has been flooded with phone calls after a fake AI-generated photo claiming one of its dogs would be euthanized went viral.
Officials with San Jose Animal Care and Services issued a warning to the community on Monday about the photo, which was posted on the Facebook group “Saving Shelter Dogs from Euthanasia,” which has more than 123,000 followers.
The post claimed a dog named “Lumi” was at risk of being put down and used the dog’s name and ID number but included an AI-generated photo of a different dog, the shelter said.
“This is completely false. Lumi was not at risk of being euthanized, has already been adopted and is in a permanent home,” Animal Care and Services said in a Facebook post.
The shelter said the post led to what they described as a “high volume” of phone calls and messages.
“While we appreciate the community’s concern, misinformation creates unnecessary alarm and takes staff time away from caring for animals currently in our shelter,” officials added.
According to the shelter, the page has previously shared false information about other animals in its care, using unrelated and AI-generated images.
Animal Care and Services urged the community to rely on the shelter’s official social media channels and webpages for information about pets up for adoption.