Images of Elon Musk With a Robot Are AI-Generated
The Claim
A set of images show Elon Musk with a female-looking robot.
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Emerging story
A series of images were shared on social media, allegedly showing Elon Musk, a prominent business figure, with a robot.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the circulating images and found them to be fake.
According to the images’ digital creator, the images are created by artificial intelligence.
Images of Elon Musk With a Robot Are Digitally Created
Upon conducting a reverse image search, Misbar's team traced the origin of the images to an Instagram account. Following communication with the account user, the publisher revealed to Misbar that the images were generated using an AI program called Midjourney.
The images were created and published on May 4.
In the captions accompanying the images, the user included hashtags related to AI-generated programs.
Based on the username and biography, it can be inferred that Xavier Art is a digital creator. In the past, this user shared the viral AI-generated images portraying Pope Francis.
What Is Midjourney?
Midjourney is an AI service called text-to-picture that was created by an independent research lab called Midjourney.
David Holz, the co-founder of Leap Motion, a renowned startup in the virtual and augmented reality domain, also established Midjourney. In 2019, Leap Motion was acquired by UltraHaptics, further solidifying David Holz's expertise and influence in the industry.
Users can use this service to produce images by providing textual descriptions, resulting in a diverse array of artistic expressions encompassing realistic and abstract styles. Midjourney's AI is particularly esteemed for its exceptional image quality, meticulous structure, and intricate detailing.
Artificial Intelligence and Misinformation
In a blog, Misbar’s team explained how AI-generated images can trigger a new misinformation crisis.
Experts emphasize the importance of media literacy and individual fact-checking methods in reducing the influence of AI-driven misinformation. Journalists and fact-checkers are adopting an educational approach, collaborating with educational institutions to provide training on media literacy skills, such as fact-checking and verification techniques, to both students and teachers. The emphasis is placed on contextual analysis and encouraging critical questioning when confronted with politically charged images.
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