Thai tourism officials say ‘no AI’ for viral Lisa image amid online backlash

Thailand’s tourism authority has denied using artificial intelligence (AI) to produce a viral campaign image of Thai pop star Lalisa “Lisa” Manobal, after the highly polished visual became a lightning rod for online debate over the growing role of AI in creative work.The image, released under the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s (TAT) “Amazing Thailand” banner, shows Lisa – a member of global K-pop sensation Blackpink – framed against the pink blooms of Udon Thani’s Red Lotus Sea, also known as Talay Bua Daeng.Within hours of circulating online, the poster drew sceptical reactions on social media, with some users branding it “definitely AI-generated” or questioning whether the image was “too perfect to be real”, while others suggested it reflected heavy CGI and retouching rather than generative technology.After speculation mounted, the TAT moved to address the claims. In a statement reported by the Bangkok Post on Friday, the agency said it “would like to confirm that the image currently in circulation is a real photograph resulting from a filming and photography process. No AI image generation was used”.TAT acknowledged that the photograph had been graphically enhanced to meet the campaign’s creative brief, but said the work relied on standard design techniques carried out by an experienced creative team, in close coordination with the artist’s management and subject to final approval.The reaction from younger Thai online users reflected broader unease about the spread of AI-generated content, with some critics warning that synthetic imagery could blur the distinction between human-made work and machine-generated visuals.Comments highlighted by local media ranged from “Doesn’t it look too AI – so fake?” to “It looks like it’s floating”, alongside more sympathetic remarks such as “Lisa is stunning, but please change the editing team urgently”.