Our Reporter, Abuja
The Presidency has dismissed reports and social media claims suggesting that a photograph of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu with Rwandan president, Paul Kagame, taken in Paris on Sunday, was generated using artificial intelligence.
In a clarifying statement by Temitope Ajayi, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, the Presidency described the claims as a misrepresentation of facts, stressing that the image in question is genuine.
According to the statement, President Tinubu and President Kagame met in Paris on Sunday, where they had lunch together. Later the same evening, both leaders also attended a dinner hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron.
The Presidency explained that the photograph, which circulated online and attracted criticism, was taken with a mobile phone and initially appeared to be of poor quality. It was subsequently enhanced using Grok, an artificial intelligence tool, solely to improve image clarity.
“This does not make the picture AI-generated,” the statement emphasized, noting that enhancing an existing photograph is different from creating an image using artificial intelligence.
The statement also faulted sections of the media and commentators on social media for rushing to conclusions without proper verification, stating that journalists and editors should have sought clarification before publishing or amplifying the claims.
