Katy Perry, Rihanna Absence Sparks AI-Generated Images at Met Gala

Despite rumors, Katy Perry and Rihanna didn't attend this year's Met Gala, but things got interesting when fake images of them appeared, tricking some fans into thinking they were there.

Met Gala Deepfake Drama

On Monday and Tuesday, fake pictures of the MET Gala, held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art every year, spread on social media. Some people spotted the fakeness, but others fell for it because the images looked so real.

One glaring inconsistency spotted by keen-eyed observers was the carpeting on the stairs, which matched that of the 2018 event, not the current year's theme featuring green-tinged fabric adorned with live foliage.

While creating AI-generated images depicting celebrities in fictional luxury attire may seem harmless, the Associated Press reported that experts emphasize the history of this technology's more serious and detrimental uses.

Challenge of Deepfake Origins

Surprisingly, even Perry's mother fell for the ruse. After at least two AI-generated images depicting her daughter circulated, Perry shared them on her Instagram.

Accompanying the post was a screenshot of a text exchange purportedly from her mother, who praised what she believed to be Perry's genuine appearance at the Met Gala. Perry responded jokingly in the exchange, warning her mom about the AI trickery.

Her representatives did not promptly address requests for additional comments or details regarding Perry's absence from the event.

However, Perry explained in the caption of her Instagram post that she could not attend the MET Gala due to work commitments. The post also featured a video of her singing, albeit with no sound.

At the same time, a fake picture of Rihanna wearing a beautiful white dress decorated with flowers, birds, and branches spread online. Although she was supposed to attend the Met Gala this year, Vogue announced that she wouldn't be there before the event began on Monday night.

According to People magazine, Rihanna was reportedly suffering from the flu, but representatives have not yet confirmed the reason for her absence.

Additionally, Rihanna's representatives have not responded to requests for comment regarding the AI-generated image circulating online.

Identifying the exact source or sources of these images proves challenging; however, the authentic-looking Met Gala backdrop featured in many of them implies that the AI tool used for their creation was probably trained on images from previous events.

Getty filed a lawsuit against London-based Stability AI last year, alleging the unauthorized use of over 12 million images from Getty's stock photography collection. In response, Getty developed its AI image generator trained on its works but restricts its use to prevent creating what it deems "problematic content."

Instances of generative AI, a subset capable of producing original content that is being leveraged for deceptive purposes, are not new. Deepfakes, including manipulated images, videos, and audio recordings featuring prominent figures such as Pope Francis and Taylor Swift, have circulated widely online in the past.

Experts emphasize that each case underscores mounting apprehensions surrounding the misapplication of this technology, particularly concerning disinformation and its potential for facilitating scams, identity theft, propaganda, and even election interference.