Why We Posted the Grok Image of President Tinubu and Kagame — Presidency Explains
The Presidency has dismissed claims circulating online that a photograph showing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu alongside Rwandan President Paul Kagame was generated using Artificial Intelligence.
In a statement issued on Monday, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, told PulseNets that the allegation was inaccurate and based on a misunderstanding of how the image was processed.
Ajayi was reacting to criticism from social media users who questioned the authenticity of the photograph, reportedly taken during a private engagement involving the two African leaders. PulseNets learnt that the image was captured during a meeting in Paris, where President Tinubu and President Kagame were hosted for a luncheon alongside French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday, January 4.
Following the circulation of the photo, several users accused the President’s media team of relying on AI tools to fabricate visuals from the meeting. The controversy intensified after President Tinubu shared the image on X, accompanied by a message stating, “This afternoon, I met privately with His Excellency President Paul Kagame of Rwanda to exchange views on global developments and the future of Africa in a rapidly evolving world.”
PulseNets reported that an added community note on X further fueled the debate, suggesting that although a meeting between the two leaders did take place in Paris, the photograph “appeared to be AI-generated” due to a GrokAI label visible on the image.
However, responding to the claims, the Presidency insisted that the conclusions drawn by critics were misleading. According to Ajayi, the photograph was authentic and captured with a mobile phone, which explained its initial low quality.
He explained that the image was later enhanced using digital tools to improve clarity, stressing that enhancement should not be confused with fabrication. “The claim that the photograph of President Bola Tinubu and President Paul Kagame taken in Paris was AI-generated is false,” Ajayi said.
He further clarified, “What followed in the media space was a misrepresentation of facts. The picture is genuine. The two Presidents met and had lunch together in Paris on Sunday. Later that same evening, they also had dinner with President Emmanuel Macron.”
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Ajayi added that the use of image-enhancement software after the photograph was taken did not invalidate its authenticity. “The photo was taken with a phone and the quality was understandably poor. Grok was only used afterwards to enhance the image, not to generate it. That alone is not grounds to label it as AI-generated,” he stated.
The presidential aide also faulted commentators and editors who, according to him, failed to seek clarification before drawing conclusions. “A little inquiry would have prevented this erroneous narrative,” he told PulseNets.
