Photos of the Pope created by artificial intelligence go viral on the Internet and deceive people

Photos of the Pope allegedly wearing a white jacket went viral on the internet and spread like a meme over the weekend. The images were created by artificial intelligence (AI) Midjourney on Saturday (25) and fooled many. Fashion sites even gave the look to stylist Filippo Sorcinelli, but later corrected the information.

pope the rapper more and more real pic.twitter.com/EioPcFkfrG

— DOUGRAS (@dougraz) 25 March 2023

The Pope wasn’t the only target of hyper-realistic photos produced using artificial intelligence last week. Based on rumors that former US President Donald Trump could be arrested, artificial intelligence was used to create fake images of the politician fighting the police.

?? Daddy’s gaze stops Loola’s last day pic.twitter.com/KeqI5khowt

— Fefocito (@fefocito) 26 March 2023

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Another target was French President Emmanuel Macron. In one of the fake AI-generated images, he is seen sitting while the Eiffel Tower and trash can be seen in the background in the wake of protests against pension reform in the country.

How to identify an image produced by AI?

While there is no foolproof way to determine whether an image was created by artificial intelligence, there are some signs that may provide clues. Lack of clarity in the background, incomprehensible text in the background, lack of symmetry on the face, and parts of the image that appear painted or blurred are some examples.

The Pope’s painting, for example, features visibly blurred details, such as a hand that doesn’t quite grasp the coffee cup, a cross with no right angles, and the rim of a lens that doesn’t connect with its own shadow.

However, it is worth remembering that AI techniques for rendering are constantly evolving and approaching reality, which can make it difficult to identify images produced by AI.