- The Washington Times - Tuesday, May 7, 2024

An artificial intelligence-generated picture of pop star Katy Perry purportedly attending the Met Gala on Monday looked real enough to fool her own mother.

Ms. Perry posted the deceptive image on Instagram alongside a text conversation with her mom, as well as a second AI image depicting Ms. Perry in a different outfit.

“Lol mom the AI got you too, BEWARE!,” Ms. Perry wrote to her mother.

Eagle-eyed observers noticed details that proved it was AI, including the tell-tale misshapen fingers, a photographer missing part of his head, and a set of stairs sourced from the 2018 Met Gala, according to the BBC.

The annual Met Gala, a marquee fashion event, is held to raise money for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York City.

Ms. Perry was not the only absent celebrity falsely portrayed as attending the gala by AI.

Fellow pop starlet Rihanna had indicated she would attend but backed out due to the flu, according to People.

That didn’t stop people from posting an image of the Barbadian singer at the Met Gala on X, which was duly debunked by the site’s Community Notes.

Lady Gaga and actress Selena Gomez were also the targets of AI spoofs.

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.

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