Fake Suffolk town names appear on AI-generated roadworks map

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 27 Oct, 07:02 · Archive

A misleading AI-generated Facebook post showing A14 roadworks near Ipswich contained invented place names and incorrect locations.

An artificial intelligence-generated poster showing roadworks for the A14 near Ipswich has sparked a warning from National Highways after residents identified numerous errors. The graphic, which featured National Highways and Brantham Parish Council logos, purported to show diversion routes for planned work between junctions 51 and 52.

Among the mistakes identified were several place names that do not exist, including 'Ehoswelt', 'Thurston Newtown' and 'Nemford'. Residents also pointed out that genuine Suffolk villages and road links had been shown in incorrect locations. Although the exact origin of the poster is unknown, it was shared by Brantham Parish Council on Facebook before being flagged as inaccurate. The council subsequently commented that it had notified National Highways of the errors as it believed they would cause confusion.

National Highways confirmed the image was not produced by the organisation and described it as 'absolute garbage'. A spokesperson said an internal theory was that somebody may have taken genuine roadworks information and put it through an AI tool to create the graphic. The organisation warned that realistic-looking posts featuring official logos can easily mislead people online and spread rapidly across social media before their origins can be traced.

How it is being reported

• Fake Suffolk town names appear on AI map as National Highways issues warningNational Highways labels fake A14 closure map “absolute garbage”, warning motorists about misinformation before roadworks begin November 3.Ipswich Star · 27 Oct, 06:00
• Fake Suffolk town names appear on AI map as National Highways issues warningNational Highways labels fake A14 closure map “absolute garbage”, warning motorists about misinformation before roadworks begin November 3.East Anglian Daily Times · 27 Oct, 06:00

In this story: National Highways · Brantham Parish Council · Suffolk · A14 · Ipswich

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