AI-generated billboard image falsely tied to Thai beer dynasty abuse scandal
- Published on May 26, 2026 at 06:20
- 3 min read
- By Pasika KHERNAMNUOY, AFP Thailand
Amidst a public scandal involving heirs of Thailand's Singha beer empire, social media users shared an AI-generated image purporting to show a rival brewery's billboard message supporting the alleged victim. The image includes several visual irregularities and was flagged by detection tools as AI-generated content.
"Welcome #psiscott," reads a Thai-language X post published on May 20, 2026.
The hashtag refers to environmental activist Siranudh Scott, publicly known as Psi Scott, a scion of the Bhirombhakdi family who owns the Singha beer empire of Thailand.
He posted an emotional video on his Facebook page this month accusing his brother of repeatedly sexually abusing him in his teenage years.
The post shares an image of a Chang billboard with a Thai slogan reading: "If you don’t know where to go, come live at our home."
Another Thai-language Facebook post published on May 21 compares billboards from the two rival brands side by side.
The Singha billboard text reads: "No place feels like home." The purported Chang billboard appears to respond directly with: "If you don’t know where to go, come live at our home."
The images circulated after a public controversy rocked Boonrawd Brewery Company -- Thailand's oldest brewery and the parent company owning the Singha beer brand.
On May 19, the company issued a statement announcing that Siranudh's brother Sunit had been dismissed from all his positions in the company, following allegations of abuse (archived link). Sunit previously denied the accusations of sexual abuse, but acknowledged roughhouse play between boys.
In a television programme aired a day earlier, Siranudh said that his marine conservation foundation had received financial support from several corporations, including Chang -- a longtime business rival to Singha -- rather than from his own family (archived link).
The posts were shared more than 10,000 times amid boycott calls targeting Singha over the allegations, with many users appearing to believe Chang had publicly sided with Siranudh.
"If your house is not a safe zone, come live with us," one comment says.
Another reads: "I have to go to 7-11 to buy more Chang products. Do not underestimate consumers' sentiment."
However, the purported Chang billboard image is AI-generated.
A close analysis of the image spotted several visual inconsistencies typical of AI-generated content, such as illegible Thai text on the billboard.
The Chang logo -- which is placed on top of the street billboard in the background -- appears in front of a streetlight in the foreground.
Google's SynthID detection tool also identified with a "Very High" degree of confidence that the image was created with the company's AI tools (archived link).
Google Street View imagery from July 2025 shows neighbouring billboard placements by rival beer brands Singha and Chang on a highway in northeastern Thailand. While Singha's billboard prominently displays its logo, the adjacent Chang advertisement does not resemble the one shown in the viral AI-generated image (archived link).
AFP reached out to Thai Beverage Plc. -- which owns the Chang beer brand -- but has not received a response at the time of publication.
AFP has debunked other misinformation stemming from AI-generated visuals.
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