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Local News
Updated on: April 24, 2026 / 7:02 PM EDT
/ CBS Baltimore
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Many in Baltimore, even elected officials, are still sounding off after the Baltimore Inspector General shared an AI-generated image of Mayor Brandon Scott on her social media page.
The A.I. picture includes what appears to be Mayor Scott surrounded by piles of money, holding shopping bags while smoking a cigar. It’s the thumbnail to a video on YouTube.
AI photo leads to controversy
The YouTuber, Hannibal Is Hungry, behind the video created another video in response to Inspector General Isabel Cumming sharing his content and the fallout that came with it. He said the outrage behind the AI picture distracts from the OIG’s investigation.
“I know many of you guys who watch YouTube realize there are tons and tons of AI-generated images,” he said in the video.
The video also criticizes the response by the Mayor’s Chief of Staff after the Inspector General shared his video with the AI-generated picture. Chief of Staff J-D Merrill sent a letter to two oversight boards calling the image “deeply inappropriate, misleading, damaging and racist.”
Cumming said she immediately took down the post after receiving feedback.
She also apologized, saying, “This post detracted from the important mission of the OIG to investigate waste, financial abuse and fraud.”
Elected officials weigh in
Dozens of people reacted to the apology. Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson responded to Cumming’s apology on ‘X.’
He wrote, “…For an office built on impartiality, the choice to publicly post insulting and offensive content to attack a sitting Mayor undermines public trust and the work of an oversight office overall. This whole episode is exactly why a thoughtful, purposeful framework for accessing data in the public sector is so important…”
“I think we can all agree the post was inappropriate,” said Councilman Mark Conway.
Conway said this shouldn’t distract from the concerns raised by the Office of the Inspector General. The OIG sued the city after Cumming said the city’s law department blocked her access to documents. A judge last week said the city cut off the Inspector General’s ability to find fraud.
“I see a step to take this infraction, discredit the IG and the investigation that she’s already begun and found fraud and to use it to permanently restrict the IG,” Conway said.
Conway said the IG must now work to rebuild trust with the community.
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