Claim:
A photo authentically shows a crowd greeting Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and vice presidential candidate Tim Walz at an Aug. 7, 2024, rally at Detroit Metro Airport.
Rating:
Unproven ( About this rating? )
Context:
The image's origins are unknown. While other photos and videos depicted a similar scene and tools designed to detect artificial-intelligence (AI) software said the image was likely a real photo, there was no conclusive evidence to confirm the photo's authenticity. If it was real, it's possible that its lightening, shadows or filtering was digitally manipulated.
In early August, Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz, campaigned in several battleground states, including Michigan. Shortly after they landed for a rally in Detroit, many social media users posted what they claimed to be a photo from the event — an image that purportedly depicted a large crowd with Air Force 2 in the background.
In addition to X, the photo circulated on Facebook and Reddit . Several users seemed to believe the image was digitally altered (that is, someone took a real photo of the event and added or changed elements using software like Photoshop) or the product of artificial-intelligence (AI) software (in other words, AI software created the image entirely). One user commented under an X post, "You can tell it's photoshopped."
The image's origins are unknown. In other words, we were unable to identify who first posted the image online. Without that source, there's no evidence to determine whether the photo is genuine, the product of digital software, or a combination of the two (an authentic photo with some editing to change brightness or add a filter, for instance).
Other photos and videos of the event depicted a similar scene — rows of Harris-Walz supporters gathered in front of Air Force 2.
Meanwhile, tools designed to detect artificial-intelligence (AI) software said it was likely a real photo.
However, if that was indeed the case, its possible that its brightness, shadows or coloring was digitally manipulated.
We will update this report when, or if, new information surfaces to confirm or deny the image's authenticity.
What We Know About the Image
In many AI-generated images, people appear to have nonhuman characteristics, such as extra or too-few fingers, or unrecognizable facial features. We didn't see that in the photo.
Nevertheless, we scanned the image through two online AI-detection tools. The first, Winston AI Image Detector , determined the image was "96% human" — or, that it was likely photographed by someone and not created using an AI-generation tool. The results were as follows:
(Winston AI)
Isitai.com , another detection tool, described the image as "somewhat likely human generated," estimating a 58% chance that it's not AI.
(isitai.com)
To find the image's origin, we did a reverse-image search . Rachel Bitecofer, a political strategist, appeared to be one of the first social media accounts to share the image. She told Snopes she did not attend the event and she was "not sure" where she got the photo online.
We found photos that depicted a similar scene at the Detroit Metro Airport in The Associated Press' image archive. For example, an image by photojournalist Carlos Osorio shows a similar angle of the crowd, though with different lightening. We reached out to the AP to get in contact with Osorio, who may have insight on whether the in-question image was a possible view of the event.
In the AP photos and other media , a roof hangar gives a shadow over the crowd — in other words, part of the crowd that's closer to the aircraft is visible and the people underneath the roof are not as easy to see. Also, many supporters were recorded holding campaign signs, just like the in-question image.
Also, by zooming in on phone screens in the image, you can see what appears to be the plane and crowd — in other words, the phones seem to show people recording what's in front of them. In the image below, you can see the fin of the plane on the attendee's phone:
(X user @RachelBitecofer)
Have more information on this image? Send us a tip .
Sources:
YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2p2nj9GtfgQ . Accessed 8 Aug. 2024.
AP. https://newsroom.ap.org/editorial-photos-videos/search?query=Air%20Force%20Two%20with%20Democratic%20presidential%20nominee%20Vice%20President%20Kamala%20Harris%20and%20her%20running%20mate%20Minnesota%20Gov.%20Tim%20Walz%20aboard%20arrive%20for%20a%20campaign%20rally%20Wednesday,%20Aug.%207,%202024,%20in%20Romulus,%20Mich.%20&mediaType=photo&st=keyword . Accessed 8 Aug. 2024.
" Https://Isitai.Com/Ai-Image-Detector/." Is It AI?, https://isitai.com/ai-image-detector/. Accessed 8 Aug. 2024.
Login | Winston AI. https://app.gowinston.ai/login . Accessed 8 Aug. 2024.
Watson, Kathryn, and Caitlin Yilek. In First Rally with Walz, Harris Praises Him as Leader to Help Unite the Nation - CBS News. 7 Aug. 2024, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kamala-harris-vp-tim-walz-philadelphia-rally/ .
Busby, Mattha. "First Thing: Thousands Rally for Harris and Walz in Wisconsin and Michigan." The Guardian, 8 Aug. 2024. The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/aug/08/first-thing-thousands-rally-for-harris-and-walz-in-wisconsin-and-michigan .
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