Recently, a photo claiming to show Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan, Adviser to the Ministry of Youth and Sports and Ministry of Labour and Employment of the Interim Government, with a woman in a hotel room has spread on social media.
See some posts circulated on Facebook with this claim here: here, here, here, and here.
Fact-check
An investigation by Rumor Scanner has found that the viral photo of Adviser Asif and a woman in a hotel room is not authentic. In reality, the image in question was created using Artificial Intelligence (AI) by combining two separate photos of Adviser Asif and a woman named Ridita.
At the beginning of the investigation, Rumor Scanner observed the photo and identified several AI-related inconsistencies. For instance, the hotel room in the picture appears unnaturally perfect. The natural spots, acne, pores, or fine lines typically found on a human face are absent from the subjects in the photo. Additionally, the woman’s pose, with her hand on her cheek, seems unnatural, as such a posture would typically require leaning on an object for support.
Subsequently, a search for Asif Mahmud’s name on Google revealed a photo where the color and design of his Panjabi match the attire in the circulated picture. It was verified that the photo was taken at a press conference on November 17 of last year.
The woman in the alleged photo with Asif Mahmud has been identified as Ridnir Islam Ridita. A photo she uploaded as her Facebook profile picture on August 23 matches the one in the circulated image. A comparative analysis shows that she is in the same pose in both pictures. Furthermore, similarities can be seen in the henna on her hand, her earrings, her hairstyle, and the flowers in her hand. However, some inconsistencies were also detected. For example, while the flowers and earrings are clear in the profile picture, they appear incomplete and distorted in the circulated photo. Such inconsistencies are commonly observed in AI-generated images.
Thus, it is clear from observation that the photo in question was created using technology by combining two separate images of Asif Mahmud and the woman named Ridita.
To further confirm this, the image was tested with the AI detection tool Hive Moderation. According to the tool’s analysis, there is a 99% probability that the image was created with AI.
Therefore, the viral photo of Adviser Asif and a woman in a hotel room is completely fake and fabricated.
Sources
- Rumor Scanner’s analysis.
- Hive Moderation.
- Ridnir Islam Ridita: Facebook Post
- Dhaka Tribune: Asif Mahmud: Corruption, nepotism must end for timely project completion
