This is a computer generated image created by a visual artist

This article is more than one year old.
Published on March 2, 2021 at 09:50
1 min read
By AFP Philippines

An image has been shared in multiple posts on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Imgur alongside a claim it shows an intricately designed fountain in Japan. The claim, however, is false: the image was in fact computer generated and was created by a visual artist.

The image was posted on Facebook here on February 23, 2021.

“One of the most beautiful fountains in Japan,” the post’s caption reads.

A screenshot of the misleading post, taken on March 2, 2021

The image was also shared alongside a similar claim on Facebook here, here and here; on Twitter here and here; on YouTube here and here; and on Imgur here.

However, the claim is false.

Reverse image and keyword searches found that image is a computer generated image created by a visual artist named Chad Knight. Knight posted the image on Instagram here on September 28, 2018.

In an email to AFP on March 2, 2021, Knight confirmed the image does not show a real fountain. “I am the artist who made this piece of art. It is not a real place, just a 3D creation,” he said.

Knight also posted an animated version of the same image on Instagram here on October 21, 2018. The post’s caption reads in part: “Not in Japan.”

Below is a screenshot comparison of the photo in the misleading posts (L) and Knight’s Instagram post (R):

Screenshot comparison

The misleading claim was also debunked by the US fact-checking organisation Snopes.

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