This has come under fire, with business owners across the country criticizing the changes, jokingly referring to the Prime Minister as a “shareholder” of the company and using AI images of him “working” for the company.
The stunt went viral on social media, but legal experts warn business owners are at risk of being sued.
“The use of AI-generated images of politicians and celebrities is not automatically illegal in Australia, as there is no broad, independent ‘right of publicity’ that would fully control any commercial use of a person’s likeness,” LegalVision’s Charlotte Hale said.
“Legal risk begins when a post creates the impression that the person endorses, approves, sponsors, or participates in the business.”
Hale warns that even if there was no intention to mislead customers, companies could still be at risk.
“Images, social media posts, testimonials, etc. can all be misleading if they give an overall false impression, regardless of whether the company intends to mislead or not,” Hale said.
“On the safer side are obvious parody, political commentary, or clearly labeled AI-generated content that does not imply endorsement or promotion of commercial products.”
He said companies could distance themselves from legal issues by leaving clear disclaimers that the posts were parodies or that the images of Albanians were generated by AI.
“Disclaimers can be helpful, but they are not therapeutic if the overall impression is still misleading,” she says.
“Even if it was intended as a joke, some viewers may believe that the visitation occurred.”
“It crosses the line faster when images are tied to commercial, real, unpublished, or false claims.”
