Adobe has hit back after artificial intelligence in its software was blamed for a media company’s crudely edited image of a Victorian MP.

The Nine Network apologised to Animal Justice Party MP Georgie Purcell on Tuesday, after it broadcast an image of her with a digitally altered bust and wearing a top that showed her midriff.

Purcell sparked a storm when she posted the altered image to social media on Tuesday, alongside the original photo – which shows her in a dress with no bare midriff.

“Having my body and outfit photoshopped by a media outlet was not on my bingo card. Note the enlarged boobs and outfit to be made more revealing,” she wrote.

“Can’t imagine this happening to a male MP. What gives?”

Tweet from @georgievpurcell

Nine was quick to apologise, blaming artificial intelligence for the digital mishap. The network said no staff member was behind the alteration.

“Our graphics department sourced an online image of Georgie to use in our story on duck hunting,” Nine News director Hugh Nailon said.

“As is common practice, the image was resized to fit our specs. During that process, the automation by Photoshop created an image that was not consistent with the original.

“This did not meet the high editorial standards we have and for that we apologise to Purcell unreservedly.”

Purcell – who at 31 is the Victorian Parliament’s youngest MP – accepted the apology. She told Melbourne radio that Nine had treated her with “compassion”.

But Photoshop-maker Adobe then cast doubt on the official explanation, saying any such editing of a photo would not have been possible with just the software’s generative AI features.

“Any changes to this image would have required human intervention and approval,” an Adobe spokesperson said later on Tuesday.

It came after Purcell told Melbourne’s 3AW radio that media outlets should learn from Nine’s error, saying it highlighted the “emerging risks that come with this technology”.

“I am satisfied that Nine have dealt with this, they have treated me with compassion and apologised unreservedly,” the Animal Justice Party MP said.

“I just hope that all media outlets can learn from this and the emerging risks that come with this technology.”

The storm over the photo came amid rising concern about digitally altered images of women being circulated online. Megastar Taylor Swift is the latest to be affected, with X (formerly Twitter) blocking searches for her name this week amid a wave of explicit images circulating on the platform.

On Monday, Purcell said the incident had been a “good lesson” in how women were portrayed in the media.

“I think it’s been a really, really good lesson for people in public life and for media outlets that we need to do more to protect women in these circumstances,” Purcell told Sky News Australia.

“I haven’t been quiet since I got elected about this sexist and misogynist rhetoric that I’ve received, and this is a really subtle form of it.

“But when it’s happening to you, it’s particularly confronting to see your own body altered on the nightly news to meet conventional beauty standards – and this is something that wouldn’t happen to a male politician.”