US State Department Acknowledges Error After Mislabeling Nigeria, Other African Nations at Global AIDS Conference.

The US State Department has issued an apology after using an AI-generated map that incorrectly identified several African countries during a presentation at the 26th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2026) in Brazil.

The map, which was part of a session discussing the State Department's new global health agreements, inaccurately placed several countries across the continent.

Nigeria was shown as a landlocked nation in the Sahara Desert, instead of in West Africa.Mozambique was depicted in the Horn of Africa, whereas it actually lies in southeastern Africa.Côte d'Ivoire was also incorrectly positioned on the wrong side of the continent.

The errors sparked significant attention after conference participants took photos of the slide and shared them online.

Reuters reported that analysis of the presentation video revealed the image had a watermark indicating it was created using OpenAI tools.OpenAI stated it was looking into the report.

The State Department accepted responsibility for the mistake, stating it was due to a staff member who quickly changed the presentation shortly before the session.

"We take full responsibility for the confusion and misrepresentation it caused for attendees, including our African partners," the department said in a statement.

The presentation was given by Jeff Graham, the senior US health official in charge of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), one of the largest HIV/AIDS programs in the world.

The incident led to criticism from health and policy experts, who questioned how the geographical errors managed to pass official quality checks.

Matt Petit, an AI and geopolitics expert at the Atlantic Council, told Reuters that the slide showed a lack of basic geographical knowledge and inadequate quality control before it was presented.

The inaccurate map received additional attention after AIDS researcher Emily Bass shared screenshots in a Substack post, with the images then spreading across social media platforms.

The incident occurs as the United States reviews its overseas health assistance under President Donald Trump's administration.

Although PEPFAR has largely resumed providing life-saving HIV medicines following last year's foreign aid review, funding for disease prevention, surveillance, and other health programs has been reduced.The administration has also announced plans to gradually stop PEPFAR operations in South Africa as part of a broader shift in its global health strategy.