CHISINAU, March 19 — Moldova’s Ministry of Internal Affairs has issued a public apology after a social media post featured a bizarrely distorted version of the national coat of arms, blaming the error on an artificial intelligence tool.

The post, intended to promote the national MD-Alert warning system, showed the Moldovan eagle with a duck-like beak. The central shield, which should display an aurochs head, instead showed three fish arranged with their heads pointing inward. The image was swiftly removed after drawing sharp criticism, particularly from parliamentary opposition members. Socialist Party MP Adela Răileanu described the incident as a sign of ministerial incompetence.

In a statement to media, the Ministry said the image was generated using AI, acknowledged the misrepresentation of the state emblem, and pledged stricter oversight for using official symbols in public communications. It thanked those who quickly flagged the mistake.

This marks the first official admission by a Moldovan state institution that it used neural networks to create content containing national symbols. Moldovan law mandates that state emblems be reproduced precisely according to official specifications. Distorting them can result in fines of up to 45 conventional units (approx. $130) for officials and 60 units (approx. $170) for institutions.

The ruling Party of Action and Solidarity has faced repeated criticism from the opposition over its appointment of inexperienced personnel to ministries, which opponents argue leads to such embarrassing failures.

Source: RIA Novosti