Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
Claim
Photograph of Yogi Flower, a species unique to Turkey, that is shaped like a person sitting in a meditative posture.
Such posts can be seen here, here and here.
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Fact
A keyword search for “Yogi flower,” and “Turkey” on Google did not yield any credible results indicating that such a species of flora is found in the country.
The claim further adds that such “unique” flowers “appear black during the summer, in other seasons they are very dark red.” However, the colours black and “dark” red are not seen in the viral photo. Further, we could not find any credible information about any such flower species that look like a ‘Yogi,’ raising our doubts about the authenticity of the viral image.
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We then ran past the image through multiple AI detection tools which detected a high probability that the viral photograph of the alleged Yogi flower was actually generated using Artificial Intelligence.
AI Hive Moderation, for instance, detected a 99.9% probability that the image contains AI-generated or deepfake content. Another tool, Illuminarty calculated 98.1% probability of the image being generated via AI. Hugging Face discovered a 94% probability of the viral Yogi flower to be an AI creation.
Halfeti, the Turkish village mentioned in the claim, is in fact known for a special flower – black rose also known as the “Arab bride” or “Arab beauty.” Reportedly, when the roses reach full bloom, a richer, wine red colour starts to show through its petals, “but as buds, they are as black as the ace of spades.”
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Hence, an AI generated image has been shared to falsely show a Yogi flower that is unique to Turkey.
Result: Altered Photo
Sources
AI Hive Moderation Website
Illuminarty Website
Hugging Face Website
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Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
