Presidency Debunks Claims of AI-Generated Photo of Tinubu, Kagame

By Chinedu Echianu

The Presidency has dismissed reports suggesting that a recent photograph showing President Bola Tinubu with Rwandan President Paul Kagame was generated using artificial intelligence, describing such claims as false and misleading.

Online reactions had trailed the photo of Tinubu and Kagame in a meeting as part of the President’s trip to France, wherein the photo was described as AI fabricated and not real.

However, in a statement issued on Sunday, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Temitope Ajayi, clarified that the photograph, taken in Paris, is genuine and not AI-generated as widely speculated on social and mainstream media.

According to the statement, President Tinubu and President Kagame met in Paris on Sunday, where they had lunch together. The two leaders later joined French President Emmanuel Macron for dinner the same evening.

Ajayi explained that the image in question was taken with a mobile phone and initially appeared of poor quality. He said the photographer later used “Grok” to enhance the picture’s quality, stressing that image enhancement does not amount to artificial intelligence fabrication.

He criticised the conclusions drawn by some media outlets and commentators, noting that basic verification and fact-checking would have prevented the spread of misinformation surrounding the photograph.