Councillor alleges Hillingdon Tories used AI to manipulate her image

Labour councillor Sital Punja has alleged that Hillingdon Conservatives used artificial intelligence to manipulate her images without her consent. She claims that AI-generated caricatures posted by the local Conservative Group and Deputy Council Leader Richard Mills perpetuate racist tropes and are a violation of her privacy.

Concerns over AI-generated imagery

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Councillor Punja, who was first elected to Hillingdon Council in 2022, stated that she believes the AI-generated images posted by local Conservative members have crossed a line. She identified an AI-generated image of herself posted by an anonymous username, 'DelightfulYuzu2877', which she realised belonged to Councillor Richard Mills, the Conservative Deputy Leader of Hillingdon Council. Two other AI-generated images were posted by the Hillingdon Conservative Group.

One image depicts Councillor Punja, who is of Indian descent, dangling her White counterparts on puppet strings. Councillor Punja told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that she believes this image perpetuates a historically known trope, similar to those used during anti-Semitism, implying that people of colour in elected office are manipulative. She stated, "When you have an Indian female whose features are quite exaggerated, puppeteering White men who look helpless on her strings, it is saying [in my view] that people are vulnerable at the hands of this person of colour."

Councillor Punja added that she feels violated and powerless, stating, "I feel violated, sickened, and completely powerless. If that's how they wanted me to feel, then they've succeeded. People need to know that this is what the people running the council do to you."

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Hillingdon Conservatives' response

Councillor Richard Mills has strongly rejected Councillor Punja's allegations. He stated, "I completely reject the allegations being made by Cllr Punja in the strongest possible terms. The image is clearly political satire about Cllr Punja’s political influence. There was no reference to her race, sex or religion and I totally reject the suggestion that it contains any racist connotations."

The Hillingdon Conservative Group also rejected any suggestion that the images were racist, sexist, or misogynistic, describing them as "political satire". A spokesperson for the group said, "Political satire has always been part of the to and fro of politics, and there is a legitimate place for humour and caricature in political debate."

The group stated that they do not accept the interpretation being placed on the images, noting that similar AI-manipulated photos have been posted by local Hillingdon Labour groups. They added, "Allegations of racism are serious and should be considered on the facts and evidence, not simply asserted as part of a political disagreement or published in local media without substance."

Call for new regulations

Councillor Punja has reported the images to the council’s Standards Committee. She is advocating for new rules to protect elected officials from AI image manipulation, citing concerns raised by the Information Commissioner's Office about artificial intelligence systems that generate realistic images of identifiable individuals without consent.

Councillor Punja also expressed her view that Councillor Richard Mills is not fit for public office, referencing her personal experiences with racism as a child. She is also calling for internal discipline for Councillor Mills, whose father, Councillor Douglas Mills, serves as Chief Whip.