In April 2024, record rainfall caused massive flooding that crippled the oil-rich United Arab Emirates.
Dubai, the financial capital where the Burj Khalifa is located, was hit by severe disruption, with highways flooded and more than 2,000 flights canceled at Dubai Airport, the world's busiest international airport.
The image was shared around the world on Facebook, including on pages with locations in Kenya, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and more.
Some people seemed to believe the photo was real.
“May Allah protect and keep everyone safe,” one Facebook user commented.
“Were they afraid of the flood? That's why they climbed,” another wrote.
However, the image is generated by AI.
AI generated
A reverse Google image search found the image shared in an Instagram post, credited to @jyo_john_mulloor (archive links here and here).
This username will also appear at the bottom of the image.
Search @jyo_john_mulloor on Instagram and you'll find the profile of digital artist Jyo John Mulloor. Its profile says, “All artwork was created with artificial intelligence” (archive link).
Mrour posted a photo of the Burj Khalifa on Instagram on April 12th (archive link).
The caption read: “Breaking Ai news: Unprecedented crowds flood downtown Dubai during Eid celebrations.”
Below is a comparison of screenshots of images shared in the false post (left) and Mulloor's original post (right).
Mrour admitted to AFP that he used a combination of AI software and the photo editing tool Photoshop to create the photo of Burj Khalifa.
His profile features various images that are said to have been created using AI.
AFP published tips on how to spot AI-generated images and debunked various false claims about Dubai's flooding here, here and here.
