Misinformation Follows Minneapolis Shooting
Following the fatal shooting of Renee Good, 37, in Minneapolis, an image of the involved ICE agent began circulating online. Eyewitness videos showed the agent wearing a mask; however, many social media posts featured an unmasked version of the agent's image.
AI-Generated Image Circulation
This unmasked image appeared to be generated by xAI's generative AI chatbot, Grok, reportedly in response to user requests on X to "unmask" the agent. Experts advise against using AI for such purposes, citing potential inaccuracies.
Hany Farid, a professor specializing in digital image analysis at the University of California, Berkeley, commented that "AI-powered enhancement has a tendency to hallucinate facial details leading to an enhanced image that may be visually clear, but that may also be devoid of reality with respect to biometric identification."
Misidentification and Impact
The AI-generated image circulated alongside the name 'Steve Grove.' The origin of this name was not immediately clear. By Thursday morning, the association led to negative online attention directed at two individuals named Steve Grove, neither of whom had any connection to the incident.
One individual, Steven Grove, a gun shop owner in Springfield, Missouri, reported that his social media page was targeted. He stated, "I never go by 'Steve,'" adding that he was not in Minnesota, did not work for ICE, and had different physical characteristics.
The second individual, Steve Grove, the publisher of the Minnesota Star Tribune, issued a statement. The newspaper indicated it was monitoring what it believed to be a "coordinated online disinformation campaign" and encouraged readers to seek factual information from trained journalists.
Identified Agent
Reports from the Star Tribune and other sources, including NPR, have identified the ICE agent as Jonathan Ross. Court documents indicate that Ross was previously involved in an incident in June of last year in Bloomington, Minnesota, where he was reportedly dragged by a car during a traffic stop.