The fast fashion giant Shein launched an investigation after Luigi Mangione, a man accused of murdering the CEO of UnitedHealthcare Brian Thompson, was seen on his website and apparently modeled shirt.
A photo that showed a man wearing an ordinary white shirt with a short sleeve was quickly removed after she began circulating online. The shirt was reportedly for sale for less than $ 10.
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In a statement BBC News Shein’s spokesman said:
“The concerned picture was provided by a third -party dealer and was removed immediately after the discovery.
We have strict standards for all extracts on our platform and carry out a thorough investigation. We will also strengthen our monitoring processes and take appropriate measures against the seller. ”
It remains unclear how long the picture was alive or who recorded it.
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AI or digital manipulation?
The bizarre list has triggered widely widespread speculation online, with many questions as to whether the photo was generated by AI.
The BBC verifies image testing using Amazon Recognition, facial recognition tools, and found 99.9% similarity to the actual Mangione photo taken during the court performance.
Generative expert AI Henry Ajder said that while the image is low resolution, there are different indicators of AI manipulation.
“Lighting, skin texture, and a strange artifact above the right forearm indicate that AI can be generated,” he explained, adding that AI can create such images much faster than manual adjustments.
Researcher AI Henk van Ess believes that the most likely scenario is that the real photo of Mangione’s face has been mixed with the body generated by AI, perhaps using a tool like Midjourney.
Case Mangione and Online Madness
Mangione, 26 years, was arrested in December last year and confessed to the murder and persecution -related challenge. The prosecutors are looking for a death penalty if it is convicted.
The case launched an intensive public response in the US, supported by anger over private healthcare companies.
- Some have a controversial marked mangione “folk hero”, and supporters gather before court hearing.
- Fundraisers gathered thousands of dollars to support his legal defense.
- Goods with his name flooded platform like Etsy and Amazon, although Amazon later pulled out such extracts.
- The McDonalds employee accused of tilting the police faced online harassment and the chain of fast food itself was bombarded with negative reviews.
- The police department, which arrested Mangione, reportedly received the threats of death.
Cultural critic Blakely Thornton said BBC News that Mangione painting, including shirt -free pictures he published online, intensified his strange cult.
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“People in the US are programmed to trust and empathize with men who look like mangione,” Thornton said.
Earlier controversy
This is not the first time the name Mangione has caused the problems of a large company.
Last December, Apple faced criticism after its Apple Intelligence AI tool missed the announcement, which fake that the BBC News reported that Mangione had shot itself. Apple later suspended this feature after several similar errors.
The legal team Mangione did not comment on Shein’s controversy.
His upcoming court is expected to pay massive public and media attention.
(Tagstotranslate) Luigi Mangione (T) Shein Investigation (T) CEO of Unitedhealthcare Brian Thompson (T) AI Generated Picture (T) Fast Fashion Gigant.
