Multiple Facebook pages posted in early March an AI-crafted photo of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s sculpture beside a supposed wood sculptor in a workshop.
Three AI detection tools concluded that the photo published on March 1 by Tuklas PH and on March 3 by Davaoeños Duterte Defender with the caption “Obrang Pinoy! 🇵🇭 Galing naman (Filipino masterpiece. Impressive)!” was likely AI-generated.
Both posts did not include disclaimers on the use of AI in the photo.
Some commenters mistook the sculpture as real and even complimented the carver.
Hive AI, which detects content created by artificial intelligence using machine learning models, said the photo was 99.6% likely to be AI-generated.
The results were consistent with Sightengine, which scored it 99%.
Sightengine’s results
WasItAI, meanwhile, said it is “quite confident that this image, or a significant part of it, was created by AI.”
Other pages and accounts also circulated iterations of the post across Facebook, X, Reddit and YouTube.
As of March 5, Davaoeños Duterte Defender’s post has amassed over 95,000 reactions, 5,100 comments and 5,300 shares. Created on March 11, 2017 with the name “TIFvaoena-Duterte Defender,” the page has over 92,000 likes and 192,000 followers.
Tuklas PH’s post only garnered over 7,100 reactions, 1,100 comments and 366 shares as of March 6. But the page has more followers than Davaoeños Duterte Defender, with more than 86,000 likes and 827,000 followers since its creation on May 11, 2020.
Pro-Duterte Facebook pages posted 10 AI-generated photos showing crowds all holding the banner, “Solid Duterte Senators kami (We’re solid Duterte senators supporters),” on Feb. 22, the day the former president joined an indignation rally in Mandaue City, according to a VERA Files fact check. (CPJ, UP Journalism Club)