Fact Check: Viral image showing a little girl with a snow leopard is AI generated

AI photo trends have taken on social media, especially Facebook & Instagram by storm, as they are the most preferred platforms by youngsters. AI makes images, creatives and graphics grab the attention of youth by making them more eye-catching and attractive. Recently, a photo of a small girl sitting beside a snow leopard was shared on social media. Without verifying it, users on different social media platforms shared it from their accounts.

The image is shared with a claim: “Meet Gulmina, a remarkable girl from the enchanting landscapes of Madan Tehsil in the Shamshal area of Gilgit-Baltistan. Her extraordinary bond with a once tiny snow leopard cub has captured hearts worldwide. Raised by Gulmina with boundless love and care, the majestic feline”. It is shared hugely on different social media platforms.

Fact check: The claim is false; it is an AI-generated image.

Using Google reverse image search, we found this video was uploaded by an Instagram user Babrakk on March 24 with a caption: “ Shirin & her fierce companion. Making a great duo”. In the comments section, a user Hamza Bokhari remarked: “How did you manage to take this? Babrakk replied - With Midjourney.

When we searched with the keyword MidJourney, we found it is an artificial intelligence program. It generates images from natural language descriptions, called prompts, similar to OpenAI’s DALL-E.

In Babrakk's account, we also found other such pictures similar to this (Imaginary Gulmina) image.

A tourism magazine, Fascinating Pakistan, shared few of the images with a caption: “Children of mountains with their pets Note: Images are AI generated.

Artist: @babrakk #Fascinatingpk #fascinatingpakistan #pakistan

During the search, we also found Praveen Kaswan, an IFS (Indian Forest Officer) officer, Dairy & Cattle Farmers Association (DCFA) Pakistan, Independent Urdu, share the image with the information -- “AI Generated picture of a girl and snow leopard”.

Hence, it is proved the viral image showing a girl with a snow leopard is not real but purely made by AI technology.

Claim: Gulmina's extraordinary bond with a once tiny snow leopard cub has captured hearts worldwide

Claimed by: Social media users

Claim reviewed by: Telugupost Fact Check

Claim source: Social media

Fact Check: False