A collection of fabricated images purporting to depict pop singer Dua Lipa celebrating her marriage in Palermo, Sicily, misled internet users and even some news outlets.
Did Dua Lipa mark her wedding in Sicily by consuming spaghetti directly from a pot?
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This was the belief held by many on social networks after a series of photos claiming to capture the pop star marrying actor Callum Turner at a sumptuous Italian event went viral.
Some of these images, more evidently produced by AI than others, showed Dua posing with attendees and dancing alongside notable personalities in the Sicilian streets.
However, these photographs are fabricated. They were created through artificial intelligence and rapidly circulated on social media platforms, including X, Instagram, Facebook, and Threads.
While a number of users quickly recognized the images as AI creations, others seemed convinced that they depicted authentic moments from the wedding.
Several media outlets also appeared to confuse the issue, with multiple digital publications in India and South Africa mistaking the images for genuine photos of Lipa and her spouse Turner dancing at a Palermo welcome party. The Italian radio station R101 also shared the images on Instagram before later removing them.
The pictures were produced by Rick Dick, an Italian digital artist renowned for his satirical and artistic AI-generated works inspired by celebrities and the fashion world.
Rick shared these images initially using the hashtag #ai, yet they quickly reached an audience far larger than his initial followers, accumulating millions of views.
When speaking to The Cube, Euronews’ fact-checking unit, Rick expressed surprise at the extent of the response.
«What amused me most was that some individuals perceived these images as real, although many were deliberately absurd and meant to be humorous,» he stated.
The artist noted that a bigger problem arose once the images were reshared by other accounts.
«In my view, the main concern is what takes place after these images are re-shared,» he explained. «On my page, they are clearly marked as AI-created, but when reposted elsewhere, my logo and credits often disappear, and the images sometimes get presented as authentic photographs.»
He emphasized that deceiving viewers into believing the images were genuine was never his goal.
«These are intended as playful and lighthearted caricatures inspired by a highly publicized private event that drew significant online attention,» he added.
This is not the first occasion where AI-created images associated with celebrity weddings have circulated widely.
Earlier this year, actress Zendaya disclosed that some people within her circle believed AI-generated images portraying her wedding to actor Tom Holland were genuine after those photos proliferated online.
Controversy in Palermo
The marriage of Dua Lipa and Callum Turner in Palermo sparked global intrigue and debate among city residents.
While some welcomed the influx of international guests, including Charli XCX and Donatella Versace, others voiced concerns about disturbances linked to the three-day festivities.
Among the critics was Apro Palermo, a group campaigning against excessive tourism. They distributed posters across the city with the slogan «Palermo Is Not for Rent,» emphasizing worries over the effects of large-scale events and tourism on the local community.
Regarding authentic photographs from the wedding, various photo agencies recorded videos and took snapshots of attendees at a Palermo welcome party, but to date, no official images have surfaced of either the ceremony or the reception.