Fake photos, but make it fashion. Why the Met Gala pics are just the beginning of AI deception

Actor Jared Leto carrying around his own head as an accessory? Real. Rapper Lil Nas X, painted head to toe in silver, his body encrusted with pearls and crystals, wearing only a metallic Dior thong? It happened. Actor and singer Billy Porter, wearing a catsuit, carried into the event by six shirtless men in gold pants? Yes. 

If there's any event where it might be difficult to discern reality from fantasy, it's the Met Gala, where Grimes once brandished a sword and Lady Gaga once stripped through four different outfits until she was wearing only a black lingerie set, go-go boots, and pulling a pink wagon behind her on the carpet.

But this year, people weren't tripped up by the fashion choices (which were relatively tame, naked dresses aside). Instead, they were confused about which celebrities were actually there, thanks to AI-generated images during fashion's biggest night.

And while the AI photos swirling online of celebrities like Katy Perry and Rihanna might seem harmless, experts note that each instance of people being misled by generative AI underlines growing concerns around the misuse of this technology.

It's particularly concerning regarding disinformation and the potential to carry out scams, identity theft or propaganda, and even election manipulation, they said.

"It used to be that seeing is believing, and now seeing is not believing," Cayce Myers, a professor and director of graduate studies at Virginia Tech's School of Communication, told the Associated Press.

"[If] even a mother can be fooled into thinking that the image is real, that shows you the level of sophistication that this technology now has."

AI-generated images depicting a handful of big names, including Perry and Rihanna, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's annual fundraiser quickly spread online Monday and early Tuesday. Perry and Rihanna didn't attend the gala, and it's unclear where exactly the photos of them originated from.

Perry re-posted two of the images to her Instagram Monday night, writing that she "couldn't make it to the Met, had to work." She also included a video of herself in the studio, and a screenshot of a text from her mom complimenting her outfit.

"lol mom the AI got to you too, BEWARE!" Perry responded in the text screenshot.

By Wednesday morning, the post contained a warning from fact-checker PolitiFact that the Met photo was AI-generated.

Fake photos of other celebrities from the gala circulated online, as well, including one of Rihanna in a white gown, and another of singer Jason Derulo falling down a flight of stairs. On X, formerly Twitter, a warning was added to the photos of Rihanna, saying they're AI.

The fact-checking website VerifyThis confirmed Derulo did not fall down the stairs — the photo shared isn't of him, and was in fact taken at the Cannes Film Festival in 2011.

But first, the pictures and others like them were shared and liked across social media platforms. An influencer on TikTok even gave a glowing review of a fake outfit on Kim Kardashian. (As Forbes pointed out, Kardashian was at the event, but wearing something else.) The video has 9.6 million views.