The Presidency has dismissed claims that a photograph of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Rwandan President Paul Kagame taken in Paris was generated using artificial intelligence.
The image, which was shared following Tinubu’s reported meeting with Kagame in the French capital, triggered online debate after social media users noticed a Grok watermark on the photograph, raising questions about its authenticity.
In a statement issued on Monday, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, described the claims as a “misrepresentation of facts,” insisting that the photograph was genuine.
“The picture is real and not AI-generated as claimed,” Ajayi said.
He explained that both leaders met in Paris on Sunday and held a private lunch, after which they joined French President Emmanuel Macron for dinner later that evening. According to the statement, the image was taken with a mobile phone and appeared grainy due to its low quality.
Ajayi, however, acknowledged that image-enhancement software was used on the photograph, noting that the photographer applied Grok to improve its quality.
The clarification comes amid growing scrutiny of official communications and the use of artificial intelligence tools in public messaging.