A strange image has gone viral showing Russian President Vladimir Putin getting down on one knee and kissing the hand of his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. The image has sparked various reactions and debates online, with many questioning the authenticity of the photograph.
The picture, which was allegedly taken during the Chinese leader’s recent trip to Russia, is fake.
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Russia made international headlines. He arrived in Moscow on Monday for a three-day visit to Russia, where he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss various matters, including Jinping’s “Ukraine war peace plan.” The plan aims to address the concerns of both parties involved in the ongoing conflict.
Amidst the high-profile diplomatic talks, an image that has gone viral on social media has been the topic of much debate. It purports to show Vladimir Putin kneeling before Xi Jinping. It would be a gesture of submission with much symbolism — if the image were not fake.
Wait a minute…. WTF is this? ???? pic.twitter.com/FekVlBfZ63
— MAKS 23 ???????????? (@Maks_NAFO_FELLA) March 20, 2023
Several newsmen and tech savvy enthusiasts jumped into the dispute and found out that the viral picture of Putin bowing down to Xi Jinping is fake. It has been created using advanced artificial intelligence technology, which allows for the manipulation of images to create convincing forgeries.
There are a number of clues that point in that direction, starting with the results produced when the image is run through a reverse image search tool. The oldest result is dated March 20 but a more concrete source cannot be found for the image, even when different tools are used.
Deformed ears, one giant shoe, fused hands
Upon closer inspection, several puzzling details in the image catch the eye. The rear shoe of the person kneeling — claimed to be Putin — is disproportiontely large and wide. The calf on the same leg looks stretched. The person’s head, while half covered, is also very large and does not match the proportions of the rest of the body. The ear is strangely deformed and features several odd, nondescript lumps that other images of Putin’s ear do not show. The ear on — purportedly — Xi Jinping’s head also appears strangely deformed if one zooms in. But the most obvious discrepancy does not regard either Xi or Putin, but the person standing left of them. This man’s hands appear to be fused together.
Experience has shown that these are all noticeable problems that occur in AI-generated pictures. These are graphics created by apps with the help of AI and intended to look real. Recently, an AI app generated fake images of former US President Donald Trump being arrested even though he had not been arrested. AI tools such as Midjourney and DALL-E can create photorealistic images of natural settings and humans that are full of detail and hard to distinguish from real images. However, AI apps regularly produce images that contain errors; especially unrealistic representations of hands and ears are one of the problems AI image generators face.
