Artificial intelligence

Norway sinks claims on AI image of 'floating greenhouse'

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Norway's Ministry of Climate and Environment has refuted a claim on social media that the country has a "floating greenhouse" project that grows crops while producing clean energy with solar power. The image showing a high-tech pontoon was created using Google AI and bears obvious visual clues, such as distorted faces and unusually long hands.

"Norway engineered a floating greenhouse that produces food, fish, and clean energy -- all at once," says an Australia-based Facebook user on July 9, 2025.

"Called 'Ocean Bloom', the structure combines aquaponics, solar energy, and desalination -- all within a single self-sustaining ring."

The post also shares an image of what appears to be a double-decker pod-like structure, with sea creatures swimming on the bottom level and three figures purportedly tending to green crops on the second.

Screenshot of the false post taken on August 11, with the red X added by AFP

The image was shared globally by users in the Philippines, India, Italy, Mexico, as well as the United States -- where it garnered 2.5 million views and was shared more than 19,000 times.

It also gained traction on Instagram, X, and TikTok. 

But Norway's Ministry of Climate and Environment told AFP that these claims about Ocean Bloom "are false" (archived link).

"There is no such project in Norway, nor is there any registered company by that name operating in this field," said Kari Asheim, a press officer with the ministry, in an email sent on August 6, 2025. 

Warped faces

Asheim also said that the images "appear to be AI-generated and contain visual inconsistencies typical of such content".

A closer examination of the image shows the distorted faces of the three figures in the greenhouse, as well as the man in the middle appearing to have an elongated hand. 

Screenshots of the AI image, with some visual inconsistencies highlighted using a magnifying tool by AFP
Screenshot of the AI image, with visual inconsistencies highlighted using a magnifying tool by AFP

A reverse search reveals the image was earlier uploaded on July 7 to a Facebook page called Forest Hunts, which shares other visuals that also contain signs they were made with AI (archived link). 

Snopes also debunked the claim in an article on July 24 (archived link).

Google's "About this image" feature identified it as having been made with AI.

Screenshot taken on August 6 of the Google page indicating that the image was made using AI

The ability to detect AI-generated images is based on Google's SynthID technology, which was launched by its DeepMind AI lab in 2023 (archived here and here).

AFP has fact-checked other claims related to AI here.

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