Claim on X that Mark Carney's crowd size AI generated debunked

Did Mark Carney's campaign use AI to boost crowd sizes? We investigated
Growing sophistication of AI causing people to be increasingly skeptical of online images, video, expert says

Christian Paas-Lang, Nora Young · CBC News · Posted: Feb 21, 2025 4:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

This photo was taken at a Mark Carney leadership campaign event on Feb. 12 in North Vancouver. Some social media users have claimed it was AI-generated. (Submitted by the Mark Carney campaign)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/carney-campaign-photo-ai-claim-false-1.7463835

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In online posts that were collectively viewed hundreds of thousands of times, some social media users have claimed that a photo of a Mark Carney campaign event was AI-generated.

Several social media users claim the image, which shows an event held last week at the Pinnacle Hotel at the Pier in North Vancouver, was manipulated in order to create the impression that Carney was speaking in front of a larger crowd. Some users also relied on online AI detector tools that suggested the photo was created using artificial intelligence.

This isn't the only claim that politicians have manipulated images — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has been the subject of similar false claims in the past — and experts say the growing sophistication of AI is causing people to be increasingly skeptical of online images and video.

The CBC's visual investigations team obtained the original Carney event image and found no evidence the shots were AI-generated or digitally altered beyond traditional lighting and colour correction techniques. A CBC News cameraperson was also present at the event. Accessing CBC's raw footage, which shows the entire rally, allows for a visual comparison with the campaign photo.

Screenshots from the social media platform X show a variety of claims that the photo taken at a recent rally for Carney has AI elements. CBC's visual investigations team has determined that the photo is not AI-generated. (Composite of X screenshots)

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