Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a visit to a tea garden in Assam on April 1 ahead of the northeastern state’s elections, but an image purportedly showing his interaction with local workers being documented by a large film crew is AI-generated. The image contains visual errors and was flagged as likely containing AI-generated content by a detection tool.
“Modi has put up a set in the tea garden too,” reads the Hindi-language caption of an image shared on X on April 5, 2026.
It appears to show the Indian prime minister sitting with local tea workers, with the exchange filmed by several cameras. The production, which includes lights, overhead microphones, tents and scaffolding, is being overseen by a director.
The image circulated after Modi visited a tea garden in Assam’s Dibrugarh district ahead of elections, where he reportedly lauded local workers for their contribution to the state’s renowned tea industry (archived here and here).
Elections in Assam, ruled by Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, took place on April 9. Results are slated to be declared on May 4.
Screenshot of false post captured on April 15, 2026, with AI label and red X added by AFP
The same image also appeared in similar Facebook and X posts, with comments on the posts indicating users believed it was a genuine photo of Modi’s visit.
“Another faux pas by Modi,” reads one comment.
Another said: “Pity the tea plants were damaged for the sake of a gimmick.”
The image, however, contains several visual errors that are hallmarks of AI-generated content.
A closer look at the image shows that the faces of Modi and the women around him are blurred, with people’s limbs appearing distorted or blending into their bodies.
Text on boards and tents in the background also appears unintelligible — a common sign of AI-generated visuals.
Screenshots of the falsely shared image with distortions and unintelligible text highlighted by AFP
Moreover, an analysis using the Hive Moderation AI-detection tool found the video was “likely to contain AI-generated or deepfake content” (archived link).
Screenshot of video analysis result from Hive Moderation AI-detection tool
AFP has previously debunked other misleading claims relying on AI-generated content.
