Viral Photo Of Sen. Rand Paul Wearing Bathrobe Actually AI Fake

[highplainsdem]

https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattnovak/2023/09/23/viral-photo-of-sen-rand-paul-wearing-bathrobe-actually-ai-fake/?sh=57667fedcbdc

An image of Senator Rand Paul from Kentucky has been going viral over the past 24 hours on social media platforms like X and Bluesky. And while it’s being shared as an authentic photo, the image was actually created using artificial intelligence technology.

The fake photo shows Rand Paul sitting in a white t-shirt and red bathrobe, a joke about the controversy surrounding Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania often wearing laid back clothes. Fetterman’s wardrobe has sparked a debate about the dress code for senators, with many conservatives upset that Fetterman doesn’t wear a suit and tie when he’s going to work.

The origin of the image can be traced to an X user called Jeff Charles, who’s received over 2.9 million views on the AI-generated art. But other accounts have received even more views while suggesting the photo-realistic image might be real.

One account, known as Proud Elephant, has received over 6.2 million views. AI-generated fakes have become incredibly popular this year, which tools like DALL-E, Stable Diffusion and MidJourney allowing anyone to create their own images using nothing but text prompts.

-snip-

Link to tweet

Earlier DU thread:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100218296356


As that article says, the combination of social media misinformation and AI can create "a perfect storm of confusion as the U.S. prepares for another presidential election in 2024."

A lot of people fell for this AI image, and it was pretty trivial.

We can expect much worse, with AI.

[leftstreet]

1. So is AI different from just photoshopping?

I'm so confused. People have been using photo manipulation programs to do this kind of thing for years.

[highplainsdem]

2. AI makes this much faster and easier. You give an AI image generator a text prompt - say,

"Rand Paul at the Capitol, barefoot, wearing a bathrobe" - and WITHIN SECONDS, the AI will give you 4 different images to choose from. If you don't like them, you can repeat the prompt and get 4 more, and continue till you get one you like. It may or may not require some touchups with Photoshop. But image-generating AI is getting better, with giveaways like extra fingers showing up less often.

[leftstreet]

3. Ah, I see

Thanks!

[Maru Kitteh]

4. I could give a shit if Rand showed up in boxers and a red brassiere. I care what he does

when he's there.

WTH do they think that would bother us?