Fact Check: Is the image showing Epstein with four boys on the island real?

WASHINGTON, DC: Earlier this month, a photograph showing disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein along with four boys on an island went viral on social media. The image sparked speculations online, with many debating the authenticity of the photograph. Many have claimed it to be digitally manipulated. Let us take a closer look at that image and examine the authenticity of the viral photo. 

Claim: Photo shows Jeffrey Epstein with four boys

The image was posted on Friday,  January 16, on the social media platform Threads, showing the convicted offender Epstein and four boys posing for a photo on an island, with his hand on one of the boys’ shoulders. 

The post argued that it was not created using artificial intelligence tools and added a message urging the release of the Epstein case files. 

Fact Check: The image is AI-generated

The photo, in fact, is fake and was created using Midjourney, a generative AI platform. The picture is old, which was first posted in March 2023 on Instagram by a user named @aiartistking.

The user's handle name provided the first hint that the user generated their content with AI tools.

The post's text caption featured the hashtags '#midjourney,' '#midjourneyai' and '#midjourneyv5,' suggesting that the user created the picture with Midjourney. 

The original high-resolution version of the image on Instagram showed all five subjects with unusually smooth, shiny skin, a visual feature commonly associated with AI-generated images. 

The second image in the slideshow showed Epstein posing with five boys, accompanied by a text, ‘Epstein Island,’ referring to Epstein's Little St. James Island in the Caribbean Sea.

A closer look at the photo reveals that Epstein's mouth and some of the boys' faces had deformities, another sign of it being created with AI.

Push for public release of Epstein files

The image surfaced at a time when there was ongoing pressure from the public to release the files.

The Epstein Files Transparency Act, passed with bipartisan support and signed by President Donald Trump, directed the Justice Department to release all responsive records within 30 days. That deadline expired on December 19.

The DOJ uploaded 12,285 documents totaling roughly 125,575 pages to its website by early January. In a January 5 court filing, however, the department acknowledged that this represents only a small share of the total material.