US map of Africa mislabels every country 'due to artificial intelligence' in hilarious blunder

A map of Africa shared by the US Government mislabelled every country "due to artificial intelligence".

During a State Department presentation at a global conference in Brazil, the error-strewn map relocated a number of African countries elsewhere on the continent.

Footage showed attendees of the Aids 2026 conference in Rio de Janeiro capturing the moment audience members noticed the mistake.

Subsequent analysis of the image indicated that the map was whipped up by a staff member using artificial intelligence, made with OpenAI tools.

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The image showed Nigeria being landlocked somewhere in the Sahara Desert, while Mozambique was shifted to the Horn of Africa.

Meanwhile, Côte d'Ivoire in the west was transported to the other side of the continent.

The State Department admitted "full responsibility" for the error, claiming the map was created by a team member who had quickly changed the presentation ahead of the event.

In a statement, the State Department said: "We take full responsibility for the confusion and misrepresentation it caused for attendees, including our African partners."

Aids expert Emily Bass was one of the first to share a baffled response online, sharing the image on LinkedIn.

"Whoever created and approved this slide did not know where countries in Africa are and did not care to check their work," Matt Petit, who focuses on AI and geopolitics at the Atlantic Council, commented.

Despite the erroneous map, the State Department said the talks were "substantive and constructive", vowing to continue its support to fight against Aids.

The conference presentation was delivered by one of Donald Trump's senior officials, in charge of the President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (Pepfar).

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Democrats took the opportunity to mock their Government. A member of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Senator Jeanne Shaheen crowed: "What an embarrassment.

"This is what happens when [the State Department] fires career experts and tries to have AI conduct diplomacy."

Meanwhile, ex-official Cameron Hudson said the blunder was "stupid and embarrassing".

He said it was caused by having "too junior staff performing work under-supervised".

Jeff Graham was speaking at the event, Washington's top health envoy looking after DC's flagship Aids programme.

Last year, Mr Trump's team paused funding for the initiative pending a review into foreign aid, throwing international programmes into chaos.

However, on the whole, the mission's key work, including the provision of life-saving drugs, has continued.

The US is dialling back some of its spending on prevention and surveillance. They have already set out plans to diminish the programme in South Africa.

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