The Presidency has dismissed claims circulating on social media and some online platforms that a photograph showing President Bola Tinubu with Rwandan President Paul Kagame in Paris was generated using artificial intelligence.
The controversy arose after an enhanced version of the image displayed a visible Grok watermark, leading some social media users to allege that the photograph was fake or AI-generated.
In a statement issued on Monday, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, described the reports as a misrepresentation of facts, stressing that the photograph is authentic.
Ajayi explained that President Tinubu and President Kagame met in Paris on Sunday, where they had lunch together before later joining French President Emmanuel Macron for dinner the same evening.
He noted that the photograph in question was taken with a mobile phone and initially appeared of poor quality, which contributed to speculation about its authenticity.
Ajayi clarified that the image was later digitally enhanced to improve its clarity, but stressed that such enhancement does not make the photograph AI-generated.
“The picture is real and not AI-generated as claimed. It was taken with a phone, which explains the quality. The photographer later used technology to improve the clarity,” Ajayi said.
He faulted sections of the media and social media commentators for rushing to conclusions without proper verification, urging journalists and editors to seek clarification before publishing misleading reports.
The Presidency reaffirmed that the Paris engagement between the two African leaders indeed took place, describing the AI narrative as unfounded and inaccurate.
