A US State Department presentation at a major global AIDS conference in Brazil has drawn criticism after a map shown during the event incorrectly labelled countries across Africa.
The map was displayed during a presentation at the AIDS 2026 conference in Rio de Janeiro, where US officials were discussing new health agreements. Screenshots of the slide quickly circulated online after attendees noticed that countries were shown in the wrong locations. Reuters reported that its analysis of the presentation found an artificial intelligence watermark on the map indicating that it had been created using OpenAI tools.
Among the most obvious errors, Nigeria was depicted as a landlocked country in the Sahara Desert despite being on the Gulf of Guinea. Mozambique, which lies in southeastern Africa, was placed near the Horn of Africa, while Ivory Coast was shown on the opposite side of the continent.
The State Department acknowledged the mistake and said it accepted responsibility for the confusion caused by the slide.
“We take full responsibility for the confusion and misrepresentation it caused for attendees, including our African partners,” the department said. It explained that a team member had made hurried changes to the presentation shortly before the event.
The presentation was delivered by Jeff Graham, the US global health envoy responsible for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, known as PEPFAR. Graham did not respond to requests for comment, according to Reuters. The department said discussions at the conference remained substantive and constructive despite the map error and reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to fighting HIV and AIDS.
The map first gained wider attention after AIDS expert Emily Bass posted screenshots on Substack. The images were subsequently shared across social media platforms, with one LinkedIn post receiving tens of thousands of views.
The incident has raised questions about the use of generative artificial intelligence in official government communications and the need for human verification of AI-generated material before it is presented publicly.
The State Department is also facing scrutiny over changes to US overseas health assistance. The Trump administration paused some funding last year for a review, disrupting health programmes in several countries, although core PEPFAR services, including access to life-saving medicines, have largely resumed.
Washington is reducing funding for some other health activities, including prevention and disease surveillance, and plans to phase out the PEPFAR programme in South Africa. The funding changes have added to concerns among health organisations about the future of US involvement in global HIV programmes.
The map error occurred as US officials sought to highlight new health partnerships at the international conference, making the incident particularly embarrassing for the department and its African partners.
