The swagged-out pope is an AI fake — and an early glimpse of a new reality

It is no news that, nowadays, images generated by Artificial Intelligences go viral within a few hours: but few of these creations have really managed to travel around the world. However, this is the case with the Pope dressed in a particularly interesting overcoat.

Originally uploaded to Reddit, within a section dedicated to Midjourney, the image was then re-proposed on Twitter and the rest of the World Wide Web. Most viewers were convinced that it was a simple photograph taken of the Pope in recent times, and that someone had dedicated themselves to creating a new line of clothes for the Pope; but they were wrong.

Paying more attention to the image, however, one is able to notice some inconsistencies typically present within creations generated by Artificial Intelligences: shadows out of place, fingers out of focus, the crucifix that seems to merge with the coat.

Undoubtedly this event was the first of many, especially because of its accuracy to the reality in which we live. Although not perfect, at first glance it seems plausible: the Pope could actually wear similar clothes sooner or later. This new vision of the situation makes the future increasingly uncertain.