A photo claiming to show Congress leader Rahul Gandhi taking a selfie with a woman in street abroad, is very likely to be AI generated.
Media forensics expert Professor Siwei Lyu also analysed the picture and pointed out several discrepancies commonly seen in AI-generated photos.
The picture began circulating after Bharatiya Janata Party IT cell chief Amit Malviya shared a different photo of Gandhi and alleged that the Congress leader is vacationing in Langkawi, Malaysia.
The Claim
Several verified right-wing handles on X posted the picture with the caption, "Sweet couple. Daughter of drug lord with Pappu".
Click here to view one such post and here for an archive.
Rishi Bagree, who has been fact-checked by BOOM multiple times earlier for spreading misinformation, also shared the picture. Bagree linked it to a 1999 photo of Gandhi with his then-girlfriend Veronique and questioned Gandhi’s relationship with the woman.
What We Found: The Picture Is AI-Generated
1. Visible discrepancies in the photo: When the viral photo was zoomed in, we noticed reflection of artificial lights on the woman's black sun glasses spilling out of the frame. The background shows more oddities, such as wall panels lacking natural texture - common markers of AI-generated images.
2. Results from AI detector tools: The photo was tested on AI detection tools like isgen.ai, Undetectable.ai, and Sightengine. Both isgen.ai and Undetectable.ai confirmed it was AI-generated, while Sightengine suggested the image may have been created using OpenAI’s GPT-4o model.
3. AI Expert on the Photograph: To verify further, BOOM reached out to Siwei Lyu, professor of computer science and engineering at the University at Buffalo and director of the UB Media Forensic Lab (UB MDFL). Lyu pointed out flaws in the picture, such as reflections appearing outside the sunglasses and unusually smooth, flat wall panels - visual signs often linked to AI-generated images.
He told BOOM, “Our analysis showed this image is likely AI-generated, with about a 61% probability. It is possible that this image was created using existing photos of the two subjects, which is why their identities are well preserved."
