On December 2, media outlets with a pro-government editorial policy, such as POSTV (1; 2), Digest, the news agency INFO 9, NewsHub, Exclusive News, Exclusive Media, and the Facebook page “Ar Agarevinebt,” disseminated a photo showing two people in gas masks kissing each other. The description reads: “A gay couple at a ‘peaceful’ rally.”
The photo of a gay couple spread by pro-government media was generated by using artificial intelligence. The photo shows noticeable flaws, and additionally, the author indicates that the program Midjourney was used to create it.
The information card distributed by the media features the author of the photo, David Apakidze. Initially, on December 2, he posted the images on his Instagram page and added the caption (Collab with Midjourney), indicating that the images were created using Midjourney. This is a program that creates photos through artificial intelligence.
Additionally, an AI info label has been added to the Instagram post. Any user can add this label before posting a photo or video; furthermore, Instagram itself adds this label to images that may have been generated by artificial intelligence. Clicking on the label displays a message saying that the content may have been AI-generated.
David Apakidze responded to the spread of the photo by POSTV through an Instagram Story. In the text, the author confirms that the photo was created using artificial intelligence.
Additionally, there are flaws in the photo. For example, both individuals depicted in the photo are wearing respirators, but they are merged with each other. Also, in the first photo, one of the person’s hands and deformed fingers are visible. This type of flaw is characteristic of AI-generated photos.
Since Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced on November 28 that the government would not put the issue of opening negotiations with the European Union on the agenda until the end of 2028, protests have been held across Georgia. Government-aligned media are actively involved in a discrediting campaign against the protesters. For example, on December 2, pro-government media claimed that an armed person was present at the protest, but the published photo actually showed an individual holding a tripod and a camera. The Myth Detector checked numerous false claims spread by government media and news agencies regarding the protests held after the parliamentary elections in Georgia.
Archive of posts: (1; 2; 3; 4; 5; 6; 7)
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