Some of the looks we’ve seen come out of the 2024 Met Gala red carpet have seemed too ethereal to be from this world — and that’s because they’re not.
By now, you’ve probably seen Rihanna‘s stunning Met Gala outfit, which featured a cream gown embroidered with green vines and colourful birds. A larger-than-life collar framed her face in a way reminiscent of a petal of a giant flower, or the spread of branches on a tree.
The dress would have been perfect for the Met Gala’s “The Garden of Time” theme — if it was real.
Viral AI images have taken over social media and tricked people into believing celebrities who didn’t attend the Met Gala were actually there. Exhibit A is the one above, but these photos of Katy Perry have also been doing the rounds:
The image on the left is incredible — the carpet in the background is the same mouldy green as this year, and Perry’s outfit looks real.
The image on the left has more hints at its origin — it has the telltale sign of a mismatched carpet and some munted faces in the background, but the technology is still pretty advanced — Katy Perry not only looks real, but her dresses actually perfectly match the theme of the evening. I am genuinely sad they don’t exist!
The Katy Perry images were so convincing, in fact, that her own mother thought they were real.
The pop star shared a screenshot of a text message from her mum on Instagram, in which she exclaimed that she didn’t know Perry would be at the Met Gala — only for the singer to reveal the photos weren’t real.
“Lol Mom the AI got you too, BEWARE!” she wrote.
Other AI images of celebrities have also begun appearing on social media, though they’re a little more obviously fake.
Like this one of Lady Gaga:
And this one of Dua Lipa:
Others have begun sharing their own AI-made Met Gala pictures to make fun of the one above, and they’re, well, clearly AI.
choose your fighter pic.twitter.com/4BwD4ZTNAz
— َ.mp3 (@dieforyous) May 6, 2024
That being said, it’s pretty disconcerting how realistic the Rihanna and Katy Perry ones are — even the fingers were okay, which is usually the first sign that a photo has been doctored.
For now, I suggest double checking any pictures you see of celebrities at the Met Gala by seeing if they also appear on Getty Images.
Unless you like to live a life of whimsy and chaos. In which case, enjoy the confusion!
