Recently elected Mayor of New York City, Zohran Kwame Mamdani, has reacted to the AI-generated images, linking him and his mother to Jeffrey Epstein. The pictures surfaced on the internet shortly after the release of the Epstein files, before several media outlets confirmed that the photos were a product of an artificial intelligence tool developed by Google. Now, Mamdani has not only invalidated the images’ authenticity but has also urged the government to curb the malicious use of the technology.
Zohran Mamdani addresses AI images
On Wednesday, February 4, the 34-year-old Democratic Party member released a statement expressing his sentiments after seeing doctored photos of himself and his mother with Jeffrey Epstein.
“At a personal level, it is incredibly difficult to see images that you know to be fake, that are patently photoshopped and AI-generated, and yet can reach across the entirety of the world in an era of misinformation,” Zohran Mamdani remarked, as per the NYC Mayor’s Office website.
Notably, multiple photos of a young Mamdani posing along with his mother, acclaimed filmmaker Mira Nair, Epstein, and others started showing up online after the US Department of Justice publicized the infamous Epstein files. One of the images also highlighted him as a child and his mother sharing space with Ghislaine Maxwell, former President Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, as well as Epstein.
Nevertheless, several sources have since deemed the images as AI-generated. The Associated Press further reported that the account that shared the photos described itself as “an AI-powered meme engine.”
“And there’s the old adage about how quickly a lie can spread with a comparison to the truth,” the New York City Mayor consequently exclaimed. He also called on the government to enforce regulations to keep the immoral uses of the ever-evolving technology in check.
“We also have to work to ensure that we have a city, we have a state, we have a country that actually has a regulatory system when it comes to AI. Because frankly, what it looks like today is a system that is ill-equipped for the speed and the reach of the technologies in front of us,” Zohran Mamdani added.
