The Presidency has dismissed claims that the photograph showing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Rwandan President Paul Kagame having lunch in Paris was generated using Artificial Intelligence (AI), clarifying that the image is authentic and only enhanced for quality.
In a statement issued on Monday, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, said speculation surrounding the Tinubu Kagame photo Grok was based on misinformation and a misunderstanding of how image-enhancement tools work.
Ajayi explained that the photograph was taken with a mobile phone and initially appeared blurry, prompting the photographer to use the Grok application solely to improve its visual quality. He stressed that the use of the tool did not in any way mean the image was artificially generated.
“The narrative that the picture of Presidents Bola Tinubu and Paul Kagame taken in Paris was AI-generated is incorrect. The photo is real, and Grok was only applied to enhance clarity,” Ajayi said, reacting to online debates triggered by the watermark visible on the image.
The Presidency noted that the meeting between both leaders took place on Sunday in Paris, where they held discussions over lunch on global affairs and strategies for advancing Africa’s development. Ajayi added that the two presidents later joined French President Emmanuel Macron for dinner the same evening.
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According to the Presidency, conclusions drawn by commentators over the Tinubu Kagame photo Grok should have been preceded by basic fact-checking, rather than speculation capable of misleading the public.
The clarification, Ajayi said, was necessary to address the growing spread of false narratives and to reaffirm the administration’s commitment to transparency. He urged Nigerians to rely on verified sources for information and to avoid amplifying unsubstantiated claims, especially in matters involving state engagements and diplomacy.
The Presidency maintained that the controversy around the Tinubu Kagame photo Grok does not detract from the significance of the meeting, which it described as part of ongoing diplomatic efforts to strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation across Africa.