A photograph circulated by the Unity Labour Party (ULP) and its media affiliates, including Star Radio, has sparked intense online debate after the station declared Sunday night’s political event “the largest crowd ever in St. Vincent & the Grenadines for a political rally.” The rally was held ahead of the party’s scheduled activities for 27 November, and supporters promoted the turnout as historic.
But as the image spread across social platforms, so did skepticism. Many Vincentians questioned whether the crowd was as large as claimed, particularly after some users attempted to use AI-based tools to estimate attendance—tools which, as experts caution, cannot reliably determine crowd size from a single image.
AI Estimates Misinterpreted
A screenshot circulating online shows an estimate generated using an AI assistant, giving a crowd range in the tens of thousands. However, the tool itself does not provide precise measurements, and its guidance explicitly warns that:
- It cannot confirm the true area of the field from an image alone.
- It cannot know the density of the crowd with accuracy.
- Any estimate given is not authoritative and is not a verified count.
In short: the numbers are not reliable, and the AI was not designed for forensic crowd analysis.
Public Reactions
The inflated figures prompted a mix of humour and criticism online, with some users joking that the rally had “more people than live in the constituency,” while others accused political actors of intentionally spreading exaggerated claims to influence public perception.
Opposition supporters also shared their own comparisons, pointing out that images of previous rallies—by both major parties—have similarly been used to advance political narratives. Several commenters called for more transparency and for media entities to clearly distinguish political messaging from verifiable reporting.
No Official Count
As of publication, no independent crowd count has been released for the event. In SVG, where political rallies often draw large but unmeasured crowds, attendance is typically estimated by organizers themselves—leading to frequent disputes about which party attracts the most support.
A Reminder on Digital Information
Digital media analysts note that with the growing use of AI tools and image enhancement technologies, misinterpretations can spread quickly. Crowd estimation from photographs remains a specialized scientific discipline, normally requiring:
- multiple aerial angles,
- verified land area measurements, and
- calibrated models of crowd density.
None of these were available for the ULP photo currently circulating.
What’s Next
With the political season heating up ahead of upcoming events, images and claims will undoubtedly continue to play a major role in shaping public opinion. But for now, one thing is clear: the “largest crowd ever” claim remains political rhetoric—not a verified fact.
The following is an opinion piece submitted by an editorial contributor. The views expressed are entirely those of the author.
