During the 26th International AIDS Conference in Rio de Janeiro, a map shown by a senior US official incorrectly labelled six African countries, sparking criticism and an apology from the US State Department.
The erroneous map, used in a presentation on Washington’s funding for HIV programmes, misplaced Nigeria, Mozambique, and Ivory Coast, with some countries appearing distorted or unrecognisable. Notably, Nigeria was depicted as landlocked, and Ivory Coast was inaccurately placed in East Africa.
A State Department spokesperson described the incident as "an unfortunate error" caused by a team member who "hurriedly altered" the presentation slides. The department took full responsibility for the confusion, especially among African partners attending the conference.
The mistake was first highlighted when HIV/AIDS expert Emily Bass shared a photo of the slide, which contained an AI watermark, suggesting the map was created using artificial intelligence tools. Reuters reported that OpenAI is investigating the matter.
The presentation was part of the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a flagship programme addressing HIV globally. The error drew sharp criticism from political figures, including Senator Jeanne Shaheen, who blamed it on overreliance on AI and insufficient expert oversight. Former State Department official Cameron Hudson called it "stupid and embarrassing," attributing it to junior staff working with limited supervision.
Despite the controversy, the State Department emphasized that discussions at the conference remained substantive and reaffirmed its commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS in Africa and worldwide. The incident comes amid ongoing US foreign aid cuts and a restructuring of global health assistance under the Trump administration, which has affected some PEPFAR activities outside core HIV treatment.
