NEW YORK, NY — A series of artificial intelligence–generated images falsely portraying Mayor Zohran Mamdani as a child alongside his mother, filmmaker Mira Nair, with convicted sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein spread widely across social media this week, prompting renewed warnings about the speed and reach of AI-driven misinformation.
The images surfaced Monday on X after the Justice Department released a new tranche of Epstein-related files on Friday. The photos depict Mamdani at various childhood ages posed with Epstein, his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell, and high-profile public figures including former President Bill Clinton, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
The images were fabricated, according to an AP News review.
Each contains a visible digital watermark identifying the content as generated or altered using artificial intelligence.
Google’s Gemini app detected SynthID, a watermarking tool embedded by Google AI models, in all of the images. The account that first posted them describes itself as an “AI-powered meme engine” that creates “AI videos and memes.”
In one image, Mamdani and Nair appear at the front of a nighttime group photo on a crowded city street with Epstein, Maxwell, Clinton, Gates and Bezos. Mamdani appears to be a preteen. Another image places a slightly younger Mamdani in a tropical setting, with Maxwell’s arm around him as Epstein holds Clinton. Additional images depict Mamdani as a baby in Nair’s arms...
NEW YORK, NY — A series of artificial intelligence–generated images falsely portraying Mayor Zohran Mamdani as a child alongside his mother, filmmaker Mira Nair, with convicted sex offender and fin...