Reform MS promises ‘greener Wales’ in AI ‘slop’ Facebook post

Emily Price 

An AI “slop” obsessed Reform MS who previously claimed that man-made climate change was a false threat to justify “green projects” has now churned out a synthetic “week in review” social media post promising a “greener Wales”.

Afan Ogwr Rhondda MS Steve Bayliss posted the graphic to his Facebook page on Sunday (September 27).

It detailed the work he said he had carried out in his role as a Reform MS in the Senedd over the past week.

Bayliss plans to publish his “Senedd record highlights” every week to keep his constituents informed about the issues he raises during Plenary sessions and how he votes in debates.

In the top-right corner of the graphic, above an AI-generated image of the Senedd, was the slogan: “Senedd Cymru. A fairer brighter greener Wales”.

A separate AI weekly update posted by Bayliss the week prior also featured the same slogan.

A source who got in touch with Nation.Cymru about the post, branded the image “slop” and sharply criticised Bayliss over his calls for a “greener Wales”.

The source pointed out that Reform UK’s official stance is to “scrap ‘net stupid zero’ policies”, eliminate renewable energy subsidies, and expand fossil fuel extraction.

The source also highlighted that on March 28, Bayliss had published a post to his Facebook page which claimed that “man-made climate change is not science”.

In the post, Bayliss cited an AI-led study which tested the global warming theory and concluded that “the claims behind man-made climate change do not match the facts”.

The post published by Bayliss stated: “The findings are clear: the story told by the UN and mainstream climate scientists is false.”

It added: “The truth is simple: man-made climate change is an arbitrary claim. It is not supported by facts. It is not based on logic. It was never science.

“It is propaganda. It is designed to justify new taxes, tighter controls, and massive subsidies for green projects run by the same elite who fund the narrative.”

Our source said the remarks posted by Bayliss in March were “totally contradictory” to the AI-generated post he had published at the weekend.

They said: “As an MS, he should not be able to post duplicitous content to appeal to both sides of an argument.”

Nation.Cymru contacted Bayliss and asked if he was aware that the AI weekly roundup posts he had generated claimed he was fighting for a “greener” Wales?

We asked how the Reform MS could make this pledge when his party actively rejects climate and environmental targets.

We also asked why Bayliss uses AI to draft so many of his social media posts.

The Reform MS did not respond to any of our questions.

A large amount of the content Bayliss publishes on his Facebook page appears to be AI-generated, with some of his more bizarre posts featuring uncanny valley-style images of himself and other politicians.

The day after he was announced as a Reform candidate for the Senedd election, Bayliss changed his Facebook profile picture to a deepfake-style image of himself sitting in the House of Commons in Westminster.

Once elected, he used AI to digitally alter his official photograph, originally taken by a professional photographer against a white background, so that it appeared he was standing in the Senedd’s foyer.

In June, the Reform MS was forced to delete an AI-generated social media post about a key by-election because it contained incorrect information for voters.

Rhondda Cynon Taf Council had to clarify voting rules ahead of the by-election in Treorchy, Cwmparc and Ynyswen after Reform UK’s Aberafan Maesteg, Rhondda and Ogmore branch, which is chaired by Bayliss, shared AI-generated misinformation telling voters they would need ID in order to vote.

Bayliss had shared the post to his own Facebook page, which included a deep-fake style photo of Reform’s candidate, former Tory staffer Craig Ford.

In fact, voters are not required to present identification when voting in local authority by-elections or Senedd elections in Wales.

Nation.Cymru contacted both Bayliss and Ford seeking an explanation as to why misleading AI information about voting arrangements had been circulated online. We did not receive a response.

However, Facebook’s edit history function later showed that shortly after we contacted the pair, Bayliss altered the post to remove the graphic that included incorrect claims about voter ID.

Bayliss’ Afan Ogwr Rhondda branch Facebook page has previously faced sharp criticism for its over use of unmarked AI imagery depicting political figures, buildings, and even party leader Nigel Farage.

Nation.Cymru has previously asked Bayliss why he uses so much AI-generated imagery, pressing him on why he couldn’t use real photos of himself and other political figures, but the MS did not respond to our questions. 

---

Get more trusted Welsh news

Choose Nation.Cymru as a preferred source in Google News to see more of our journalism.