A Midjourney user claimed that the viral photo of a UFO in Valle Hermoso was made using Artificial Intelligence (AI). However, for another group of people, this same statement is challenged as if it were another lie. An image of a metallic, saucer-shaped object floating in the air went viral and was in many media outlets. But the possibility that it is an AI creation, like the artwork that won a contest a few days ago, has called into question everything that may be happening right in front of our eyes.
The car mechanic, Juan Manuel Sanchez, gave several interviews to journalists who approached the place where this unidentified flying object “appeared”. The original photograph that went viral was taken outside his home. Sanchez told the media that he was photographing the approaching storm when he “noticed” a small saucer in the sky.
During one of the interviews conducted, Sanchez commented that “we were working out here in the workshop when we saw some very dark clouds, it was cloudy like now a little bit more”. The mechanic also stated that “I wanted to shoot a video but my phone was in photo mode, and I got the first image”. The images were posted on Facebook and, from there, went viral. The story was picked up by major international networks, such as The Sun and News.com.au.
A viral photo that compares to AI-generated photos
After hearing the story told by Sanchez and shown by the media, the question or doubt assailed the public. The first criticism was in the fact that there were no photographs or sightings other than the one stated by the mechanic at the site in question. When the veracity of the viralization began to be questioned, a Midjourney user appeared claiming that the image had been generated through the use of AI.
Under the name Poncho, a Facebook user shared a similar image in the group that is dedicated to Midjourney. This Artificial Intelligence program is in charge of image generation after descriptions very similar to OpenAI’s DALL-E. From there it was claimed that the UFO image was artificially generated. Many media outlets “picked up” the news of what had happened in the Mexican city.
Although this publication generated a lot of mobilization within the Facebook group, with more than 800 likes and hundreds of comments, it was quickly discredited. Poncho mistakenly included the job description and job ID that was generated by the bot. A keyword search could confirm that it was different from the UFO flying over the Mexican home. The user deleted the post, two days after it was published. Neither Poncho nor Midjourney have commented on the matter to the media who have sought a response on what happened.
