The Presidency on Sunday circulated a photograph said to show President Bola Tinubu in a meeting with Rwandan President Paul Kagame in Paris, but the image was later identified on X (formerly Twitter) as being generated by artificial intelligence.
The picture, which gained wide attention online, was shared by President Tinubu and members of his media team, depicting both leaders seated together during what was described as a private meeting in the French capital. In his accompanying message, President Tinubu said the engagement centred on international and African issues.
“This afternoon, I had a private lunch with H.E. President Paul Kagame of Rwanda to discuss the current state of world affairs and advancing Africa in an ever-changing global landscape,” the president wrote.
Supporting the post, the President’s Special Assistant on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, also shared the image, stating: “President Bola Tinubu at a private lunch in Paris with the President of the Republic of Rwanda, Paul Kagame.”
In a similar post, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, wrote: “President Bola Tinubu at a private lunch in Paris with the President of the Republic of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, discussing world affairs and advancing Africa. Sunday, January 4, 2026.”
However, an explanatory note attached to President Tinubu’s post on X raised concerns about the authenticity of the image. The note read: “While a meeting between Mr Tinubu and President Kagame is reported to have held in Paris, the image in this post appears to be AI-generated, given the GrokAI badge.”
Grok is a generative artificial intelligence tool developed by xAI, a company owned by Elon Musk. The platform is capable of producing images, carrying out real-time searches and generating text-based responses.
The incident has prompted public debate, with many Nigerians questioning the use of an AI-generated image in official presidential communication, especially in relation to a diplomatic engagement.
Although President Tinubu tagged President Kagame in the post, there was no corresponding image or mention of the meeting on President Kagame’s verified X account. As of the time this report was filed, the Rwandan leader’s most recent post, dated November 27, focused on English football club Arsenal FC.
The Presidency has yet to explain why an artificial intelligence-generated image was used to represent the meeting or confirm whether an authentic photograph from the reported engagement is available.
