The Presidency has dismissed claims circulating on social media that a photograph showing President Bola Tinubu with Rwandan President Paul Kagame in Paris, France, was generated using artificial intelligence.
In a statement issued on Monday, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, described the reports and accompanying online reactions as a distortion of the facts.
Ajayi maintained that the image was authentic, stressing that both leaders indeed met in Paris and shared meals during their official engagements on Sunday. He also clarified why the photograph carried a Grok AI watermark.
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“The claim that the picture of Presidents Bola Tinubu and Paul Kagame taken in Paris was AI-generated is false,” Ajayi said. “The media reports and social media commentary that followed are based on a misrepresentation of facts.”
According to him, the photograph captured a real moment during the leaders’ meeting.
“The picture is genuine. President Tinubu and President Kagame met in Paris on Sunday and had lunch together. Later that same evening, both leaders also had dinner with President Emmanuel Macron,” he explained.
Ajayi further clarified that the image was initially taken with a mobile phone, resulting in reduced visual quality.
“The photograph was taken with a phone and understandably appeared low in quality. The photographer later used Grok to enhance the image clarity. That does not make the photograph AI-generated,” he said.
He faulted the conclusions drawn by some commentators, noting that basic verification would have prevented the misinformation.
“The writer or editor ought to have made proper inquiries before arriving at such an incorrect conclusion,” Ajayi added.
