Joko Widodo AI image incident — Sep 2026

In late September 2026, social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok hosted a viral image falsely depicting former Indonesian president Joko Widodo presenting his university diploma to the public. The image surfaced amidst ongoing legal controversy regarding allegations that the former leader utilized a fake diploma during his presidential registration in 2014 and 2019, claims which he has consistently denied.

What happened

The circulating image was identified as synthetic content created using artificial intelligence. Investigation revealed that the image was manipulated from footage originally captured on September 26, 2026, during a regional coordination meeting of the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) in Bandung. In the authentic video, Widodo was shown displaying his party membership card to attendees rather than a university document.

Several visual markers confirmed the manipulation, including the matching headdress, microphone, party badge, and the positioning of the Indonesian flag, which were identical to the original video footage. An analysis conducted using Google's SynthID Detector confirmed the presence of digital watermarks, indicating the image was generated using the company's AI models. While Gadjah Mada University has previously affirmed the authenticity of Widodo's diploma and provided supporting documentation, including graduation photos and his undergraduate thesis, the AI-generated image was used to fuel misinformation regarding the long-standing diploma dispute.