Tinubu’s aide debunks claims Paris photo with Kagame was AI-generated

From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, has dismissed reports that a photograph of President Bola Tinubu with Rwandan President Paul Kagame in Paris was generated by artificial intelligence (AI).

In a statement on Monday titled “Stop press,” Ajayi said media reports and social media commentary suggesting the image was AI-generated were “a misrepresentation of facts.”

“The narrative that the picture of Presidents Bola Tinubu and Paul Kagame taken in Paris yesterday was AI generated is not correct,” Ajayi said. “The picture is real and not AI generated as claimed.”

He explained that Presidents Tinubu and Kagame met in Paris on Sunday, where they had lunch together before later joining French President Emmanuel Macron for dinner the same evening.

“Both President Kagame and President Tinubu met in Paris and had lunch together on Sunday,” Ajayi stated. “The two leaders later had dinner with President Macron the same yesterday evening.”

According to him, the image in circulation was originally taken with a phone, which accounted for its initial poor quality. He added that the only digital enhancement done was an improvement of the picture’s clarity using a tool.

“The picture was taken with a phone and obviously had poor quality,” he explained. “The photographer only later used Grok to improve the picture quality. That is not a reason to conclude it was AI generated.”

Ajayi faulted the process that led to the publication of the AI claim, saying journalists ought to have clarified the facts before drawing such conclusions.