BRICS leaders AI image incident — Sep 2026

A viral image purportedly showing various world leaders in a group selfie during the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi has been identified as a sophisticated AI-generated fabrication. The image, which circulated widely on social media platforms, was shared by users as a significant political statement but was proven to be entirely synthetic.

What happened

The image surfaced while the 18th BRICS Summit was being held in New Delhi, lending it a sense of false credibility among social media users. It featured a group selfie of leaders including Vladimir Putin, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Narendra Modi, Xi Jinping, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Cyril Ramaphosa, and Ebrahim Raisi.

Investigation into the claim revealed several factual inconsistencies that signaled the image's artificial nature. News reports confirmed that Iran was actually represented by President Masoud Pezeshkian, not the late Ebrahim Raisi as depicted in the image. Furthermore, the Brazilian delegation was led by Minister of Foreign Affairs Mauro Vieira, rather than President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

To verify the authenticity of the media, investigators utilized HIVE Moderation, an AI content detection tool, which returned a 99.9% probability that the image was AI-generated. Additionally, an OpenAI verification tool suggested the image was created using their technology. The incident serves as a reminder of how realistic AI-generated visuals are increasingly being used to fabricate events involving public figures, potentially misleading the public regarding major geopolitical interactions.