The mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani, publicly condemned AI-generated images circulating on social media on Wednesday that depicted him as a child alongside his mother, Meera Nair, and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The mayor described the images as “incredibly difficult”.
Zohran Mamdani criticized AI-generated images depicting him and his mother with Jeffrey Epstein, calling the experience “incredibly difficult”. (X/@ThadhaniManish_)The fake photos began circulating online only after the Justice Department released millions of documents from the Epstein files. One of the documents in the new tranche includes an email from 2009 that mentions Mira Nair’s appearance at a party after a film screening.
Social media users exploited that context to create AI-photos.
Also Read: Johran Mamdani, Mom Meera Nair, Photo With Epstein? The truth behind the viral photo
“There is a saying about how a lie can spread faster than the truth.”The AI-pictures have gone viral on various social media platforms where Mamdani and Nair can be seen in a group photo with Jeff Bezos, Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, former President Bill Clinton and Bill Gates.
The pictures sparked a fresh controversy and generated an online response from both Mamdani and Nair
Another AI-generated image features Nair holding a baby Mamdani with Bezos, Maxwell, Clinton and Epstein. The account that created the images initially referred to itself as an “AI-powered meme engine”.
In response to the controversy, Mamdani said it was “incredibly difficult” to see “obviously fake Photoshopped” images widely circulated around the world in the “age of misinformation.”
He also described a proverb – “How a lie spreads faster than the truth.”
Read more: Demonstration outside Mamdani’s house? What we know as the video surface
Call for AI controlMamdani called for stronger regulation of artificial intelligence and digital platforms to prevent misuse of such tools. “We have a city, we have a state, we have a country that we have to work to make sure that there is actually a regulatory system when it comes to AI,” Mamdani said.
He warned of how fast AI technology is advancing in today’s world and said, “Frankly, what we see today is a system that is unprepared for the speed and reach of technology ahead of us.”
