AI image used in baseless claims on purported collusion to arrest ex-Philippine president's drug…

Following the attempted arrest of Senator Ronald Dela Rosa in May 2026, a fabricated image circulated on social media platforms falsely accusing former Senate President Vicente Sotto III of colluding with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). The image, which purportedly showed Sotto drinking with law enforcement agents, was used to support baseless claims that he helped orchestrate the apprehension of his colleague.

What happened

The incident began after Dela Rosa, a key figure in former president Rodrigo Duterte's drug war, faced an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court. As political tensions rose, the AI-generated image emerged on Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram, claiming to prove that Sotto was plotting against Dela Rosa. Supporters of the wanted senator had previously blamed Sotto for allowing NBI agents into the Senate compound, and users online leveraged the fake image to suggest a conspiracy.

Technical analysis confirmed the image was not authentic. An evaluation using OpenAI's verification tool identified an embedded SynthID watermark, proving the content was generated using the company's AI tools. Beyond the digital fingerprint, the image exhibited classic signs of AI synthesis, including distorted arms on the central figures and an unusually bent finger on one of the individuals at the table. Furthermore, the facial features of the person depicted as Sotto did not match his appearance in authentic photographs from his official social media accounts. Despite the visual errors and subsequent debunking efforts, the image spread rapidly, successfully deceiving some users into believing it provided evidence of political betrayal.