The mayor of Ceres is facing backlash after a social media post showing a before-and-after cleanup at a trash-filled site sparked questions about transparency and the use of artificial intelligence.
Mayor Javier Lopez posted images of a dumpster area behind a vacant Rite Aid, appearing to show the site cleaned up. But when residents and city leaders visited the location, they found trash and debris still present.
Lopez said code enforcement did respond to the site and removed large items, including debris surrounding the enclosure. However, he acknowledged using software with artificial intelligence features to edit the image…