Image of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump kissing is AI-generated

A photo seemingly showing Vice President Kamala Harris and president-elect Donald Trump kissing has been shared on social media. But the image was created using artificial intelligence. 

The image being shared online is a screenshot from a YouTube video titled “Donald Trump Loving Kamala Harris” that was first shared in August by an account called “AI Craze”. The full video is a montage featuring other AI generated clips of Ms Harris and Mr Trump, including one depicting them holding hands while walking on a beach. 

A description of the YouTube account says: “Welcome to AI Craze, the ultimate destination for all things mind-bending and thought-provoking about the eerie, yet fascinating world of Artificial Intelligence (AI).” 

The clips in the video have clear signs of AI, which we’ve written about in our guides to spotting AI-generated images and videos. This includes the skin and fabric appearing overly smooth, Ms Harris looking different from her real self, and Mr Trump appearing as a cartoonish baby. 

This is not the first time the image has circulated. It was shared on X (formerly Twitter) following their presidential debate in September with the caption: “Best part of the debate. If you blinked, you missed it. #Unity”. It has been widely reported to be AI. 

While this may seem obviously fake to some, we’ve explained why we think it’s still important to fact check this type of content.

We’ve written a roundup of online misinformation we’ve seen relating to the US presidential election in recent months, including fake articles, edited images and suspected deepfakes.