California school board race: a flyer carrying an AI disclosure shows a female candidate at a bake sale; she says it manipulated her likeness
In October 2026 the San Dieguito Faculty Association, a California union representing district educators and staff that has endorsed candidate Amy Flicker for a San Dieguito Union High School District trustee seat, accused the campaign of her opponent, Cajon Valley Union School District superintendent David Ray Miyashiro, of using AI 'to generate deceptive, sexist imagery' in a campaign flyer. The flyer, as published by the Daily Mail, shows Flicker behind a table of baked goods labelled 'Non-profit volunteer' beside Miyashiro at a microphone labelled 'District superintendent', and carries the small-print disclosure 'Ad generated or substantially altered using artificial intelligence.' Flicker said that using AI to manipulate her likeness diminished her public service into a condescending stereotype. The campaign's response is not reported, and which parts of the image were generated or altered is not stated.
- AI system
- Unidentified image tool
- Occurred
- Oct 2026
- Reported
- 12 October 2026
- Event location
- United States
- What the AI did
- Depicted or impersonated the person
- Reported harm
- Reputational Harm
- Whose AI use
- Someone else’s AI use
- Setting
- Elections · Public life
- Evidence
- AI involvement reported · Causal attribution alleged · 2 sources, 1 underlying account
- 4 claims: 4 reported. 4 open questions
- People reported harmed
- 1 person
AI system as recorded: Image generation or alteration used in a campaign flyer, disclosed on the flyer as 'Ad generated or substantially altered using artificial intelligence' (tool not identified)
What Happened
The complaint. The San Dieguito Faculty Association, a labor union that represents more than 600 educators and staff in the San Dieguito Union High School District and has endorsed Amy Flicker, said in a news release that her opponent, David Ray Miyashiro, superintendent of the Cajon Valley Union School District, used artificial intelligence 'to generate deceptive, sexist imagery to attack candidate Amy Flicker' in a campaign flyer, which the union's president, as reported by the Daily Mail, dates to 11 October. FOX 5 San Diego first reported the dispute on 12 October, according to Globe; the FOX 5 article could not be read.
The flyer. The flyer, shown as a photograph credited to the union in the Daily Mail article, is headed 'The choice is obvious.' It places Flicker behind a table of baked goods labelled 'Non-profit volunteer' beside Miyashiro at a microphone labelled 'District superintendent', and asks who is more qualified to be a school board trustee. Small print at the bottom reads 'Ad generated or substantially altered using artificial intelligence', the disclosure California requires for political ads with AI-generated or substantially altered images.
The depicted candidate's response. Flicker said, as quoted by both outlets (Globe citing FOX 5, the Daily Mail citing the union's release): 'Using AI technology to manipulate the likeness of a female candidate and diminish my public service into a condescending stereotype is both ethically dubious and deeply concerning for someone seeking a position in educational leadership.'
What is not established. The sources do not say which parts of the image were generated or altered, which tool was used, or who designed the flyer; the attribution to Miyashiro's campaign is the union's. The Daily Mail said it had asked Miyashiro, Flicker and a current trustee for comment, and Globe says Miyashiro's office has not publicly commented on the flyer.
Reported harm
A candidate says a campaign flyer disclosed as AI-generated or altered manipulated her likeness and reduced her public service to a condescending stereotype; her endorsing union calls it deceptive and sexist.
Outcome
OngoingThe teachers' union publicised the flyer in a news release and local and national outlets reported the complaint in October 2026. No response from the opposing campaign, complaint to an elections regulator or other action is reported. The election was set for 3 November.
What remains unknown
- Which parts of the image were generated or altered, and with which tool
- Who designed and distributed the flyer, and the campaign's response to the union's accusation
- How widely the flyer was distributed
- Whether any complaint was made to an elections regulator
What the evidence supports
AI involvement: reported. The flyer itself carries the disclosure 'Ad generated or substantially altered using artificial intelligence', visible in the photograph the Daily Mail published and quoted by Globe, and the depicted candidate and her endorsing union say AI was used to manipulate her likeness. The AI output is the image depicting the candidate behind a bake-sale table, which she objected to (depicted_or_impersonated). Which elements were generated or altered, and the tool, are not stated; the attribution of the flyer to her opponent's campaign is the union's.
4 claims: 4 reported. What the statuses mean
Reported The San Dieguito Faculty Association, which has endorsed Amy Flicker, accused her opponent David Ray Miyashiro of using artificial intelligence to generate deceptive, sexist imagery to attack her in a campaign flyer.
Causal attribution. The union's accusation, relayed by two outlets from its news release.
- yahoo.com(opens in new tab) supports · English
'The San Dieguito Faculty Association has now accused Miyashiro's campaign of using AI'; 'to generate deceptive, sexist imagery to attack candidate Amy Flicker'
- dailymail.co.uk(opens in new tab) supports · English
'has now claimed that Miyashiro used artificial intelligence 'to generate deceptive, sexist imagery to attack candidate Amy Flicker' in his campaign flyer on October 11'
Reported The flyer shows Flicker behind a table of baked goods labelled 'Non-profit volunteer' beside Miyashiro at a microphone labelled 'District superintendent', and carries the small-print disclosure 'Ad generated or substantially altered using artificial intelligence.'
Causal attribution. The flyer's own disclosure, seen in the published photograph and quoted by one outlet; the photograph comes from the union.
- yahoo.com(opens in new tab) supports · English
'Flicker is shown behind a table of baked goods labeled "Non-profit volunteer."'; 'Miyashiro is seated at a microphone, with "District superintendent" printed beneath him.'; 'A line of small print at the bottom reads, "Ad generated or substantially altered using artificial intelligence."'
- dailymail.co.uk(opens in new tab) supports · English
Flyer photograph in the article (credited to the San Dieguito Faculty Association), small print at the bottom right: 'Ad generated or substantially altered using artificial intelligence'; text: 'On the left side, Flicker was standing in front of a table with baked goods with the words 'Non-Profit volunteer,' written below her.'
Reported Flicker said that using AI technology to manipulate the likeness of a female candidate and diminish her public service into a condescending stereotype was ethically dubious and deeply concerning.
Causal attribution. The depicted candidate's own statement in the union's release.
- yahoo.com(opens in new tab) supports · English
'Using AI technology to manipulate the likeness of a female candidate and diminish my public service into a condescending stereotype is both ethically dubious and deeply concerning for someone seeking a position in educational leadership'
- dailymail.co.uk(opens in new tab) supports · English
'Flicker wrote in the SDFA news release'
Reported Miyashiro is superintendent of the Cajon Valley district and is running against Flicker for a San Dieguito Union High School District trustee seat in the 3 November election; the Daily Mail said it had asked him, Flicker and a current trustee for comment.
Causal attribution. Context; no campaign response is reported.
- dailymail.co.uk(opens in new tab) supports · English
'David Ray Miyashiro is going up against Amy Flicker on November 3 for a trustee seat on the San Dieguito Union High School District.'; 'The Daily Mail has reached out to David Ray Miyashiro, Amy Flicker and Rimga Viskanta for comments.'
Sources
2 sources inspected, from 1 underlying account. Sources that repeat one account do not corroborate each other.
- Globe via Yahoo News, 13 October 2026: California school board race draws backlash over 'sexist' AI ad showing female candidate at bake sale(opens in new tab)
s1 · yahoo.com · News report · English · Inspected · 13 October 2026 · Shares an underlying account with another listed source · Primary
- Daily Mail, 13 October 2026: School board race rocked over sexist AI ad showing female candidate surrounded by cakes at bake sale(opens in new tab)
s2 · dailymail.co.uk · News report · English · Inspected · Shares an underlying account with another listed source
How the sources were read, and where the events happened
Read in English on 2026-10-14 (HTTP 200). Globe article syndicated on Yahoo News, relaying FOX 5 San Diego and the Daily Mail, including the flyer's disclosure text and Flicker's statement from the union's release. Applies to s1.
Read in English on 2026-10-14 (HTTP 200; the article-number URL redirects to the full article), including the flyer photograph credited to the San Dieguito Faculty Association. Reports the union's news release, so it shares an origin with s1. Applies to s2.
Event countries: United States. Affected-person countries: United States. Court countries: Unknown.
The flyer was used in the race for a San Dieguito Union High School District trustee seat in California (both sources); the depicted candidate is a candidate in that California election. No court is involved.
Reviewed for publication 2026-10-14: Published as a reported case: a campaign flyer in a California school board race carries the disclosure 'Ad generated or substantially altered using artificial intelligence' and depicts candidate Amy Flicker behind a bake-sale table; she said the use of AI manipulated her likeness and diminished her public service, and her endorsing union called the imagery deceptive and sexist. The attribution of the flyer to her opponent's campaign is the union's accusation, and no campaign response is reported.
People described
A school board candidate depicted in the AI-disclosed flyer behind a bake-sale table labelled 'Non-profit volunteer', who publicly objected
People reported harmed in this case
1 person
0 AI participants · 1 other person harmed
One person: the depicted candidate, who objected publicly (claim c3). She did not use the AI. The opposing candidate also appears on the flyer but no adverse consequence is reported for him.
Counted once within this case. The same person may appear in other cases. This count does not establish AI causation.
Cite this case
Compiled per our published methodology: verification statuses, sourcing standards, and corrections process.
APA
NOPE. (2026). California school board race: a flyer carrying an AI disclosure shows a female candidate at a bake sale; she says it manipulated her likeness. AI incidents. https://nope.net/incidents/2026-california-school-board-race-flyer-with-ai-disclosure-depicts-female-candidate-at-bake-sale
BibTeX
@misc{2026_california_school_board_race_flyer_with_ai_disclosure_depicts_female_candidate_at_bake_sale,
title = {California school board race: a flyer carrying an AI disclosure shows a female candidate at a bake sale; she says it manipulated her likeness},
author = {NOPE},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {AI incidents},
url = {https://nope.net/incidents/2026-california-school-board-race-flyer-with-ai-disclosure-depicts-female-candidate-at-bake-sale}
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