The Presidency has dismissed claims that a photograph of President Bola Tinubu and Rwandan President Paul Kagame taken in Paris was generated using artificial intelligence.
In a statement on Monday, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, described the reports and social media reactions as a misrepresentation of facts, stressing that the image was authentic.
Ajayi explained that both leaders met and shared meals in Paris on Sunday, noting that the photograph captured a real engagement.
“The narrative that the picture of Presidents Bola Tinubu and Paul Kagame taken in Paris was AI-generated is not correct,” he said.
According to him, the controversy arose because the original photograph, taken with a mobile phone, was of poor quality and was later enhanced using Grok, an AI-powered tool.
“The picture was taken with a phone and obviously had poor quality. The photographer later used Grok to improve the picture quality. That does not mean the image was AI-generated,” Ajayi added.
He also faulted media reports suggesting otherwise, urging journalists to verify information before publication.
The image, which carried a Grok watermark, had circulated widely on social media after it was shared on the President’s official X handle. Tinubu had said the meeting focused on global affairs and Africa’s future, while his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, posted the same photograph with similar context.
A Community Note attached to the post suggested the image might not be authentic because of the Grok watermark, sparking debate online about the use of AI-enhanced images in official government communications.
President Tinubu has been in Europe since December 28 for an end-of-year break.
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