AI-generated image of 'India farmers in New Delhi' fools social media users

The image was shared on Facebook on February 5 with the Bengali-language caption: "As the farmers know how to cultivate crops, they also know how to uproot it."

It appears to show people sitting next to tractors along the avenue in front of New Delhi's iconic India Gate monument.

The post was shared more than 430 times as thousands of Indian farmers riding tractors from Punjab and Haryana states pushed for the capital.

The protest hopes to replicate the year-long siege of highways into the capital that pressured Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government into abandoning its agricultural reform plans in 2021.

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Screenshot of the false Facebook post taken on March 3, 2024

The image was also repeatedly shared elsewhere on Facebook.

Comments on the posts suggested some users believed the image was genuine.

"Congress and comrades farmers (were) gathering here," one wrote, referring to India's opposition Congress party.

Another said: "The farmers have to sit on the street for their rights after they put in all this labour and take risks by themselves?"

But AFP journalists in New Delhi saw no signs of farmers gathering in front of the India Gate as of March 20, and there were no reports the recent march reached the capital.

AI-generated picture

A reverse image search on Google found the image posted on January 26, 2024 on an Instagram page called Kisaan IT Cell that regularly shared content about the protests (archived here).

The Instagram user who shared the image told AFP it was created using a tool called "Gencraft - AI Art Generator".

"I created it by using this app," the user said.

An analysis of the image found visual inconsistencies -- such as deformities in the hands and faces of the people -- indicating the photo was AI-generated.

Despite advancements in generative AI, errors still show up in AI-generated content.

Below is a screenshot of the image shared in false posts with distorted limbs and faces highlighted by AFP:

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Screenshot of the photo shared in a false post with deformities highlighted by AFP

Moreover, lampposts seen in the image along the avenue leading to the India Gate differ from those in a photo taken by an AFP photographer on January 24.

Below is a comparison of the circulating image (left) and the photo from AFP (right) with the lampposts highlighted:

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AFP has repeatedly debunked misinformation around AI-generated content here and here.