The claim that the photograph of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and President Paul Kagame, taken in Paris on Sunday, was generated by artificial intelligence is false and misleading.
Reports in parts of the media and comments circulating on social media suggesting that the image was AI-generated represent a clear misrepresentation of the facts. The photograph in question is genuine.
President Tinubu and President Kagame met in Paris on Sunday, where they had lunch together. Later that same evening, both leaders also attended a dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron. The photograph was taken on a mobile phone and, as expected, initially appeared in poor quality.
Subsequently, the photographer used Grok solely to enhance the image quality. This process does not in any way imply that the photograph was artificially generated. Image enhancement should not be confused with image creation.
This incorrect conclusion could have been avoided if the writer or editor involved had taken the time to verify the facts and seek clarification before publication.
