The photo of President Bola Tinubu meeting with Rwandan President Paul Kagame in Paris has sparked controversy due to a Grok AI watermark, suggesting it was generated or edited using artificial intelligence. The Presidency has since clarified that the image is real, but the quality was enhanced using Grok AI to improve clarity. According to Temitope Ajayi, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, the original photo was taken with a phone and had poor quality, prompting the use of Grok to enhance it.
“The narrative that the picture of Presidents Bola Tinubu and Paul Kagame taken in Paris yesterday was AI-generated is not correct. Both President Kagame and President Tinubu met in Paris and had lunch together on Sunday. The two leaders later had dinner with President Macron the same evening. The picture was taken with a phone and obviously had poor quality. The photographer only later used Grok to improve the picture quality. That is not a reason to conclude it was AI-generated, The writer or editor should have asked questions before this wrong conclusion”. Ajayi clarified.
The meeting between Tinubu and Kagame reportedly took place on Sunday, January 4, 2026, where they discussed global affairs and strategies to promote Africa’s growth. The Presidency has urged the media and public to verify information before circulating claims that could mislead the public.
