Elon Musk Didn't Meet Kejriwal in Delhi; the Image is AI-Generated

This story was originally published by Logically Facts, and republished by The Probe as part of the Shakti Collective.

What’s Being Claimed?

An image of Arvind Kejriwal, the former Chief Minister of Delhi and current Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Convenor, standing next to Tesla CEO Elon Musk while holding a bouquet has been circulating online, claiming that Musk visited India to meet Kejriwal.

A Facebook user shared the image with the caption: “BREAKING - Elon lands in India early this morning to meet @ArvindKejriwal. Discussions are set on Delhi’s transformative education and healthcare reforms, with plans to adapt these policies in the US and discuss them with Trump. Kejriwal personally welcomes him at the airport. Follow for more such BREAKING updates… (sic)” Similar posts can be found in these archived versions here and here. 

The image has been widely shared ahead of the Delhi Legislative Assembly elections, set for February 2025. Kejriwal is the AAP's chief ministerial candidate contesting from New Delhi.

However, our investigation found that the image has been generated using Artificial Intelligence. 

What Did We Find?

A closer look at the viral image revealed a watermark labeled ‘RisingPiku’ at the bottom. A search on X led to the user’s account under that same name. The account posted the image on December 13, 2024 (archived here). In the comment section, the user confirmed the image was AI-generated (archived here and here). The account’s bio states: “AI Enthusiast,” “The first person to use AI in Political Campaigns,” and “Post AI-Generated Images.”

The image also shows clear signs of being AI-generated. Musk’s hand appears distorted, and the background features people with no distinguishing features, a common flaw in AI-generated imagery. For a guide on how to detect AI images, visit Logically Facts here.

We also ran the image through AI detection tools. Hive Moderation flagged the image as 97.4 percent likely to be AI-generated, and TrueMedia.org found 96-97 percent evidence that it was AI-generated.

Further investigation into the X accounts of both Kejriwal and Musk showed no evidence of a recent meeting in India. Neither the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) nor any credible media outlets have reported on Musk’s visit to India to meet Kejriwal.

The verdict

The viral image of Tesla CEO Elon Musk with former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been generated using artificial intelligence.

This Fact Check story was originally published by Logically Facts, as part of the Shakti Collective. Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Probe staff.