AI-Generated Images of Pope Francis Wearing Puffer Jacket Goes Viral as Real

This image of Pope Francis wearing a puffer jacket is not real, but an AI-generated image.

Rujuta Thete
WebQoof
Published:
<div class="paragraphs"><p>Fact-check: This viral photo of Pope Francis in a white puffer coat is AI-generated. </p></div>
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Fact-check: This viral photo of Pope Francis in a white puffer coat is AI-generated.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

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An image showing Pope Francis wearing a long white-coloured puffer jacket is going viral on social media with a claim that this is a real image.

An archive can be seen here.

(Source: Twitter/Screenshot)

(Archives of similar claims can be seen here and here.)

Is this image real?: This viral image is created by Artificial Intelligence (AI) on an AI art tool known as Midjourney.

How did we find out the truth?: By performing a relevant keyword search, we came across an article by an American website, Buzzfeed News.

  • The report shared on 28 March carried the viral image and stated that the image was created by Pablo Xavier (31), a construction worker from the Chicago area.

  • However, the creator's last name was changed in the report as per his request.

  • The report adds that Xavier creates "funny or psychedelic" images using an AI art tool called Midjourney.

  • It also states that Xavier envisioned an image of "the Pope wearing a Balenciaga puffer coat and walking the streets of Rome or Paris".

  • It also carried Xavier's other AI-generated image of the Pope wearing an orange-coloured jacket.

Another AI-generated image of the Pope wearing an orange-coloured puffer jacket created by Xavier.

(Source: Buzzfeed News/Screenshot)

  • The report also adds that Xavier's account on a content sharing platform, Reddit, has now been suspended after he posted his creations there which went viral.

How does Midjourney work?: We checked more AI-generated images of Pope Francis on Midjourney with similar commands.

  • We searched similar examples by relevant keyword search on Midjourney and came across several AI-generated images showing the Pope wearing different types of jackets.

This image was created using giving commands about camera techniques with an associated action assigned to the Pope including his attire. 

(Source: Midjourney/Screenshot)

This image was created using giving simple commands such as 'Pope Francis in Balenciaga jacket'.

(Source: Midjourney/Screenshot)

This image was created using giving command about the Pope in a puffy coat. 

(Source: Midjourney/Screenshot)

Conclusion: Clearly, the viral photo of Pope Francis in a white puffer coat is AI-generated and is being falsely shared as a real photo.

Several such AI-generated image have recently gone viral as real and The Quint's WebQoof team has debunked some of them here and here.

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