A fake photo showing Emmanuel Macron and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei shaking hands has been making rounds on the internet. This AI-created image was shared next to a real picture of Frances Marshal Phillipe Petain greeting Adolf Hitler with a caption “France: Surrendering to evil since 1940“
The authentic photo of Petain and Hitler was taken on 10/24/1940 at Montoire sur le Loire. Its available on the Imperial War Museums website and in footage from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (at around 0:33)
The Macron-Khamenei image however‚ is completely fake. It was created using Grok (an AI chatbot) and inspired by a real photo of Macron with former Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi from 09/20/2022
Experts pointed out several issues with the AI-generated image:
- Macrons teeth look unnatural
- The shape of his right ear doesnt match official photos
- His suit lacks typical buttons
- Khameneis robe pattern is broken up
James OBrien professor at UC Berkeley‚ stated the image is “altered or completely fake“ due to these inconsistencies
This incident highlights the growing challenge of distinguishing real from AI-generated content in todays digital landscape