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| - By: Iryna Hnatiuk
August 12 2024
A screenshot of the AI-generated video of French President Macron kissing a man (X/Screenshot/Modified by Logically Facts)
The video is AI-generated. The tabloid that published Macron's vacation photos did not show him kissing anyone.
Context
After a tumultuous political period in France, President Macron and his wife traveled to Fort Brégançon on July 29. Located in the municipality of Bormes-les-Mimosas in the French Riviera, the Fort of Bregançon has been the official holiday resort of the president of the French Republic since the 20th century. A few days later, Macron was seen on a boat with several shirtless men in swimming trunks. After this, a video appeared online (archived here) depicting Macron kissing a man on a yacht.
Although it may appear convincing initially, Logically Facts judges the video as AI-generated.
In fact
The video shows clear signs of manipulation. Notably, the hand of a man allegedly kissing Macron appears to pass through the president's body at one point, with the wrist later disappearing altogether.
Other indications of AI generation are the unnatural movement of Macron's abdominal muscles and distorted face a moment before the "kiss."
There are visible signs that the video is AI-generated. (Source: X, formerly Twitter/Screenshot/Modified by Logically Facts)
The video's origin remains unknown. It gained widespread attention after the World War Now account shared screenshots (archived here) of the kissing clip on X, formerly Twitter. As of writing, this post has been viewed by more than 5.9 million users. While the account positions itself as a media and news company, it's not a reliable source of information. Its content includes false and misleading claims.
Since this post only includes screenshots and not the video, the AI hallmarks are not as obvious, making it easy to believe the photos are genuine.
Later, other users shared screenshots of the World War Now post, which BBC Verify journalist Shayan Sardarizadeh checked. He reported that the post had over 9.2 million views before being deleted.
Shayan Sardarizadeh from BBC Verify shared a screenshot of the deleted post, saying it had garnered 9.2 million views before being deleted. (Source: X/former Twitter/screenshot/modified by Logically Facts)
The French tabloid Voici published photos of Macron spending time with friends on a yacht and at his summer home in Fort Brégançon. One photo shows a man holding Macron by the wrist, which may have been used to create the video.
Photos of Macron spending time with friends on a yacht were published by French tabloid Voici. (Source: Voici/screenshot/modified by Logically Facts)
The magazine's photos do not show Macron kissing anyone.
The verdict
The video of French President Emmanuel Macron kissing a man is AI-generated. The tabloid that published his vacation photos did not show him kissing anyone. Therefore, the video has been marked as fake.
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