Pope Francis in Balenciaga deepfake goes viral

In today’s world, no one can overemphasize the impact of social media. Pope Francis may have found his way to viral fame.

Recently, a deep fake picture of the present leader of the Catholic Church in a Balenciaga hoodie and sneakers swept across the internet.

Over the weekend, the unexpected sight of the pope in such trendy attire amused Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook users.

A picture of the 86-year-old religious leader hit the internet and went viral as he appeared to be wearing a long, white puffer jacket designed by the luxe fashion house Balenciaga. 

This picture left a trail of amusement, outrage, and confusion. For some, it was more like a hilarious parody of the Pope’s famously humble and modern style.

AI-generated image of Pope Francis goes viral online. pic.twitter.com/ap7N099wpy

— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) March 25, 2023

And for others, it was a rude joke of one of the world’s most revered religious figures. Most internet users hailed the pope for his fashion choice and mistook the image for the actual Word of God.

Even on Twitter, the pontiff’s coat was posted with the caption, “The boys in Brooklyn could only hope for this level of drip.” It gained over 2 million views. However, it was flagged as a fake moments later.

Subsequent images of Pope Francis surfaced with him in sleek white gloves and original white sneakers; The outfit looks similar to what the Pope usually wears, but it’s completely fake.

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Yes, the viral photo of the Vatican leader in an unorthodox outfit is fake, and the artist created it using advanced deep fake technology, an AI known as Midjourney AI v5. 

Who is the Artist Behind the AI Art?

Buzzfeed News revealed on Monday that the AI artist behind the photo was a 31-year-old construction worker from the Chicago area by the name of Pablo Xavier.

In a conversation with the channel, Pablo Xavier, who preferred not to reveal his surname, said he was “tripping on shrooms” when he began toying with Midjourney. This artificial intelligence tool can generate realistic fake images.

Pope Francis in Balenciaga deepfake fools millions: ‘Definitely scary’ https://t.co/c8aKglruXa pic.twitter.com/7Uz8ivm1ak

— New York Post (@nypost) March 28, 2023

He also said, “It just dawned on me: I should do the Pope. Then it was just coming like water: ‘The Pope in Balenciaga puffy coat, Moncler, walking the streets of Rome, Paris,’ stuff like that.” 

Excited about his creation, he also shared the seemingly perfect image on the AI ​​Art Universe Facebook group and Reddit. But the real buzz surrounding the image was seen when it moved to Twitter.

Pablo claimed to be astonished at how fast and scary the image was blowing up on the internet, saying that “people are running with it and thought it was real without questioning it.”

Even 37-year-old Chrissy Teigen completely believed that the picture she saw of Pope Francis was genuine, as she tweeted on Saturday.

I thought the pope’s puffer jacket was real and didnt give it a second thought. no way am I surviving the future of technology

— chrissy teigen (@chrissyteigen) March 26, 2023

“I thought the pope’s puffer jacket was real and didn’t give it a second thought. No way am I surviving the future of technology.” 

The Implications

The fake picture of Pope Francis wearing a Balenciaga hoodie and sneakers is crucial because it shows how technology can change images and videos in ways that may cause people to lose trust or believe in false information.

Sometime last week, there were pictures of former U.S. President Donald Trump resisting arrest and running from the NYPD posted on Twitter. It was also an AI-generated photo.

Bottomline

The viral deep fake photo of Pope Francis in a Balenciaga hoodie and sneakers highlights deep fake technology’s potential risks and dangers.

While everyone can use it for harmless fun and entertainment, creating convincing counterfeit videos and images has severe implications for public trust, journalism, and democracy.