Russian Woman Fined 15,000 Rubles for ChatGPT-Generated Bear Image That Sparked Police Hunt
A woman from Magdagachi in the Amur region added a bear to her own photograph of Krasnoarmeyskaya street using ChatGPT to play a joke on her friend. The image proved convincing enough to circulate widely in messengers, leading residents to contact police and triggering an organized search by hunters equipped with technical gear.
The situation escalated when information reached the head of the district, prompting official action. One local resident reported spending the entire day afraid to leave her house and unable to go to the store. The author eventually contacted police herself and admitted that the image had been created with generative AI.
In court the woman pleaded guilty, expressed remorse, and explained that she had intended only to joke. She was found guilty under part 9 of article 13.15 of the Russian Code of Administrative Offenses. The court imposed a fine of 15,000 rubles, below the statutory minimum of 30,000 rubles, taking into account her admission of guilt, remorse, financial situation, and lack of prior offenses.
The seized iPhone 15 was not confiscated after the defendant requested its return for work purposes. This is the second documented case involving AI-generated bears: in September a resident of Duldurga in the Zabaykalye region received a 30,000-ruble fine for a similar post and had her iPhone 11 confiscated.
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