She made the rounds on social media. The photo of Pope Francis wrapped in a giant white jacket, commented on and shared by millions, went viral in a matter of hours.
Perceived as authentic by the public, it was actually an ultra-realistic photomontage made with midway software, a tool based on generative artificial intelligence capable of creating a fake photo in a few seconds based on a request from an Internet user. Its author, Pablo Xavier, a 31-year-old construction worker from the Chicago area, spoke to BuzzFeed on Monday, March 27, about the circumstances that led him to create this montage.
Overtaken by events
The idea germinated last week when Pablo Xavier (whose last name is not revealed) was under the influence of hallucinogenic mushrooms. “As usual, he was trying to find something fun to do. Fun stuff or psychedelic art,” he told BuzzFeed News. Suddenly, it’s lighting.
According to the 30-year-old, the first three images are generated by Midjourney on Friday, March 24 around 2 p.m. They quickly go viral. “I thought it was funny to see the Pope in a funny jacket […] But I didn’t want it to take such a scale”, specifies the author of the events overwhelmed by the global impact of his creations.
“I feel like shit”
Pablo Xavier then realizes that he has unknowingly broadcast “fake news”. “It’s very scary that people take these images thinking they are true without asking questions,” he says, lamenting that his photos are taken up by people who use them to criticize the wasteful spending of the Catholic Church. “I feel like shit. It’s crazy,” he says.
“I had never thought” about the potential impact of the images generated by artificial intelligence, he admits, and believes that laws should be established to prevent such events from happening again in the future.
“I think artificial intelligence photo creation is acceptable for ordinary images inspired by Vincent Van Gogh for example. On the other hand, perhaps there is a limit as to its use for public figures”, concedes Pablo Xavier.
Source: BFM TV
