Ghassane Moutaoukil, a Montana State University graphic design graduate, has found himself in the eye of a social media artificial intelligence firestorm.

Chaos unfolded Thursday after Downtown Bozeman revealed that Moutaoukil's abstract relief-style artwork had won its annual Christmas Stroll poster design competition for its 45th Main Street holiday celebration.

Instagram accounts for Downtown Bozeman and Moutaoukil were bombarded with accusations that his work was computer-generated. The artist's Instagram profile went dark Thursday, fueling more speculation.

"Super disappointing that in a town full of incredibly talented artists that AI slop would be chosen to represent our community," Montana photographer Andy Austin said on Instagram.

"There is still time to change this to showca

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