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
Copyright © AFP 2017-2025. Any commercial use of this content requires a subscription. Click here to find out more.
The image was posted on Facebook here on February 23, 2021.
“One of the most beautiful fountains in Japan,” the post’s caption reads.
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):
The misleading claim was also debunked by the US fact-checking organisation Snopes.
Is there content that you would like AFP to fact-check? Get in touch.
Contact us