By peterside Rejoice
The Presidency has dismissed claims that a photograph showing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu with Rwandan President Paul Kagame in Paris was generated using artificial intelligence, describing the reports as false and misleading.
The clarification was given on Monday by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Temitope Ajayi, following widespread media reports and social media reactions questioning the authenticity of the image.
Ajayi explained that the photograph, which was shared by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, on his Facebook page, was taken during an official engagement between Presidents Tinubu and Kagame in Paris on Sunday.
According to him, the two leaders met in Paris where they had lunch together before later joining French President Emmanuel Macron for dinner the same evening.
“The narrative that the picture of Presidents Bola Tinubu and Paul Kagame taken in Paris yesterday was AI-generated is not correct,” Ajayi said in a statement. “The media report and social media comments that followed are misrepresentations of facts.”
He clarified that the photograph was taken with a mobile phone, which affected its initial quality, adding that the image was later enhanced using digital tools to improve clarity.
“The picture is real and not AI-generated as claimed. The photographer only later used Grok to improve the picture quality. That does not make it an AI-generated image,” he stated.
Ajayi criticised reports that described the image as fake, noting that journalists and editors should have sought clarification before drawing conclusions.
“The writer or editor should have asked questions before arriving at this wrong conclusion,” he added.
The Presidency urged the media and members of the public to exercise caution and verify information before circulating claims capable of misleading the public.
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