When synthetic images begin shaping diplomatic reality.
New Delhi, India.
An artificial intelligence-generated image depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin taking a group selfie with BRICS leaders has reignited concerns about the use of synthetic media in international political communication. Shared by Russia’s embassy in South Africa following the BRICS summit held in New Delhi on September 12 and 13, the image accumulated more than two million views on X. The verified diplomatic account presented the photograph alongside a message describing BRICS as a superpower without identifying the image as artificial. Its circulation illustrates how realistic visual content can acquire apparent institutional credibility through an official communication channel.
The image appeared to capture Putin alongside other world leaders in an informal moment of diplomatic unity. However, Euronews’ fact-checking team, The Cube, identified inconsistencies and reported that AI detection tools indicated the photograph had been generated artificially. The slogan visible in the image also differed from the summit’s official branding, providing an additional indication that it did not document an actual event. The Russian embassy did not disclose its synthetic origin in the accompanying publication.
The incident raises questions extending beyond the authenticity of a single photograph. Diplomatic imagery traditionally serves as a visual record of meetings, negotiations and relationships between governments. When institutions distribute fabricated photographs without disclosure, audiences may interpret constructed scenes as documentary evidence of interactions that never occurred. The distinction matters because visual representations can communicate proximity, consensus and political symbolism without making explicit factual claims.
The practice is not confined to Russian diplomatic communication. Euronews also examined an AI-generated video shared by Portuguese political leader André Ventura that portrayed an encounter between two women using imagery associated with immigration and cultural differences. Despite viewers identifying visual irregularities, the publication remained accessible without an acknowledgment of its artificial origin at the time of reporting. US President Donald Trump has likewise incorporated AI-generated imagery into his social media communications, demonstrating the technology’s growing presence in political messaging across different countries.
Research by the European nonprofit organization AI Forensics has examined how synthetic imagery appears in political communication, including material circulated during French municipal elections. Its findings identified the use of photorealistic and stylized content to reinforce campaign messages, with limited transparency surrounding artificial generation. Such findings describe the material examined by researchers rather than establishing uniform practices across all political organizations. Nevertheless, undisclosed synthetic content introduces additional difficulties for citizens attempting to distinguish documentary evidence from constructed political messaging.
The European Union’s AI Act addresses aspects of this problem through transparency obligations concerning certain artificially generated or manipulated content, including deepfakes. These requirements reflect an emerging regulatory distinction between legitimate creative applications and synthetic representations that audiences could mistake for authentic material. Disclosure cannot guarantee that misleading interpretations disappear, but it provides information relevant to evaluating the origin and evidentiary value of digital content.
The BRICS selfie illustrates a changing relationship between artificial intelligence and institutional credibility. A fabricated photograph does not need to contain an explicit false statement to influence how an international event is perceived. When official institutions distribute synthetic images without identifying their origin, the credibility normally associated with their communications can amplify uncertainty about what actually occurred.
The challenge extends beyond detecting artificial images. It concerns preserving the distinction between representation and evidence in an information environment where convincing photographs can be created without a camera, a physical encounter or an actual event.
La verdad es estructura, no ruido. / Truth is structure, not noise.
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