Tinubu–Kagame Photo Not AI-Generated, Grok Used Only To Enhance Quality — Presidency

The Presidency has dismissed claims that the photograph of President Bola Tinubu and Rwandan President Paul Kagame having lunch in Paris, France, was generated using Artificial Intelligence (AI).

In a statement issued on Monday morning, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, clarified that the image was authentic and not AI-generated.

“The narrative that the picture of Presidents Bola Tinubu and Paul Kagame taken in Paris yesterday was AI-generated is not correct,” Ajayi said.

“The media reports and social media comments that followed are a misrepresentation of facts. The picture is real and not AI-generated as claimed.”

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He explained that the photograph was taken with a mobile phone and initially had poor quality, which led the photographer to use the Grok application to enhance the image.

“The photographer only later used Grok to improve the picture quality. That is not a reason to conclude it was AI-generated,” the statement added.

The Presidency had released the photograph on Sunday, noting that both leaders met over lunch in Paris, where they discussed global affairs and strategies to promote Africa’s growth in an increasingly complex world.

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However, the appearance of a Grok watermark on the image triggered reactions on social media, with many Nigerians suggesting that the photo was generated using AI.

Ajayi further stated that President Tinubu and President Kagame met in Paris on Sunday and had lunch together before later having dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron the same evening.

He criticised the conclusions drawn by some commentators, stating that they “should have asked questions before arriving at this wrong conclusion.”