A series of AI-generated images depicting Pope Francis in a white puffer jacket went viral on social media over the weekend, spawning a myriad of nicknames including Dope Francis, Pope Smoke and Pontiflex. The set of images was originally posted on the r/midjourney subreddit, but gained traction when an Independent Twitter user posted one of the images without context, effectively tricking enough people into thinking the pope is walked around the Vatican looking like the Michelin man in real time. . While the majority of social media users are amused by their muddle, many are concerned about the authenticity of journalism and viral content as “fake news” continues to proliferate.
A Passing Reddit User trippy_art_special shared their Midjourney designs in an ar/midjourney post titled “The pope drop by drop” just at the start of the weekend. The account has since been suspended and the post’s comments section has been locked. (A Reddit spokesperson confirmed Hyperallergic that the account suspension was unrelated to “Pope Drip” message.)
Mexico-based content creator Leonardo Alpuche (@skyferrori) tweeted the first image of the pope in the jacket as a joke. He said Hyperallergic he found it funny and noticed that no one had shared it on the platform yet. The image’s textures and shadows are photographically compelling, but closer examination of the image reveals elements of AI generation such as the unidentifiable object in the pope’s hand, the rough rendering of the crucifix pendant on his chain and the distorted lenses of his glasses.
Such minute irregularities are easily overlooked when the ‘photo’ is casually viewed on a mobile device, allowing hundreds of thousands of social media users to believe what they see at face value.
“At first it was crazy,” said Alpuche. “Everyone believed it was a real image of the pope wearing fashionable clothes. Some people even compared him to Rihanna at the Super Bowl, and others started making their own memes. No one seemed to notice that it was actually AI, which I find very hilarious because nowadays you can pretty much use an Al to craft different scenarios.
Midjourney and other AI image generators continue to refine their outputs for more realistic results, blurring the line between right and wrong in the age of digital immediacy and shortened attention spans. Last week, Midjourney-generated footage of the arrest of former President Donald Trump was made their tours on the webAlthough they were significantly less realistic than those of Dope Francis. At the end of February, a The Instagram ‘photographer’ has been widely criticized for revealing that his photographs were also developed using AI, leaving his followers feeling cheated and cheated. Amidst the hilarity of this seemingly innocuous deception is the inability to trust “photographic” evidence, which raises concerns about the reliability of the media.
“I believe we’re at a point in social media and technology where it’s easy to believe what we see online without asking further questions about its authenticity, and in some scenarios, AI-made images could be dangerous,” Leonardo said. Hyperallergic, reflecting on the biggest impact of the meme. “I think in the future, apps should label their user’s Al content just to keep everything safe.” (Twitter has since labeled the image in Alpuche’s tweet as AI-generated.)
