The Image of Elon Musk Dressed in an Arab Outfit Is Fake
The Claim
An image shows Elon Musk in an Arab attire.
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Emerging story
Recently, an image purportedly featuring businessman Elon Musk dressed in a traditional Arab outfit circulated on social media.
An X user published the image under the caption, "How do you rate this Sheikh look of Elon Musk. He looks more Uzbek than American."
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the viral image and found it to be fake.
A thorough reverse image search revealed the image to be generated using AI.
The Image of Elon Musk in an Arab Attire Is CGI
Contrary to social media users’ claims, the image of Elon Musk in a traditional Arab dress is fake. The official Twitter account of Elon Musk did not post this image; instead, it originated from a well-known parody account titled "Elon Musk (Parody)."
The account first posted the image on September 4 with the caption, "Introducing Elon 'The Sheikh' Musk..." The image has garnered more than 16 million views.
As mentioned on the bio of the original publisher's account, the account is dedicated to sharing parody content related to businessman Elon Musk.
Later, the same parody account posted another computer-generated image of Elon Musk wearing an Arab dress and commented on the image, saying, “I’ve been enjoying my time as Elon “The Sheikh” Musk… Thank you for the love.”
Furthermore, the same account has published various computer-generated images of Elon Musk in various locations and wearing different outfits.
Who Is Elon Musk?
Elon Musk is a prominent business magnate and investor, and he was born in Pretoria, South Africa. Musk is a co-founder of six companies, including the electric car manufacturer Tesla, the rocket producer SpaceX, and the tunneling startup Boring Company. He owns approximately 23% of Tesla through a combination of stock and options, some of which he has pledged as collateral for loans.
SpaceX, founded in 2002, has achieved a valuation of $127 billion following a funding round in May 2022, marking a fourfold increase in its value over three years. The Boring Company, with its aim to alleviate traffic congestion, raised $675 million in April 2022, valuing the company at $5.7 billion. Musk now holds an estimated 74% ownership of Twitter, which has been renamed X.
What Is CGI?
Computer-generated imagery (CGI) is a technology or application of computer graphics used to create or enhance images in various forms of media, including art, printed materials, simulators, videos, and video games. CGI can produce both static and dynamic images and includes both 2D and 3D computer graphics. It is commonly used for designing characters, virtual worlds, scenes, and special effects in films, television shows, commercials, and other media productions.
In a prior blog post, Misbar’s team discussed the growing popularity of AI image generators like DALL-E and Midjourney, primarily because of their user-friendly interfaces. These tools allow users to generate images by merely providing text prompts.
Moreover, Misbar's team debunked several viral images of Elon Musk, ultimately identifying them as AI-generated images.
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