On Monday, a series of AI-generated images falsely depicting New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani as a child alongside his mother, filmmaker Mira Nair, and other high-profile figures, including disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and his confidant Ghislaine Maxwell, gained significant traction on social media. These images emerged following the release of a substantial collection of new Epstein files by the Justice Department on Friday.
The images were initially shared from an X account described as a parody, which states that it produces "high quality AI videos and memes." Each of the images prominently displays a digital watermark indicating they were created with artificial intelligence. In one such image, Mamdani and Nair are positioned at the forefront of a group photo alongside Epstein, Maxwell, former President Bill Clinton, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, and Microsoft founder Bill Gates, appearing to be posing on a bustling city street at night. In this depiction, Mamdani appears pre-teen or youthful.
Another image allegedly portrays the same group minus Nair in a tropical setting, with Epstein depicted as holding Clinton in his arms and Maxwell embracing Mamdani, who looks slightly younger. Additional AI-generated images circulate, showing Mamdani as an infant in Nair's arms with Epstein, Clinton, Maxwell, and Bezos. It's important to note that none of Epstein’s victims have publicly associated Clinton, Gates, or Bezos with his criminal activities.
Utilizing Google's Gemini app, a digital watermarking tool known as SynthID was detected in each of these images, confirming that they were either wholly or partially generated by AI models created by Google. The X account responsible for the original postings characterizes itself as "an AI-powered meme engine," asserting that it employs AI to generate memes, songs, stories, and visuals aimed at being "fast, loud, and impossible to ignore."
An inquiry directed to the account regarding the images was not answered; however, a post from the account appeared to acknowledge its role in creating the images, stating, "Damn you guys failed. I purposely made him a baby which would technically make this pic 34 years old. Yikes."
The appearance of these images coincided with the emergence of an email, where publicist Peggy Siegal communicated with Epstein about encountering several public figures, including Clinton, Bezos, and Nair, during a 2009 afterparty held at Maxwell’s townhouse. Notably, Mamdani was actually 18 years old in 2009, contradicting the narrative presented in the AI-generated images suggesting he is depicted as a baby or child.
Furthermore, the circulating images have incited additional misinformation, including claims that Epstein is Mamdani’s biological father. This assertion is wholly unfounded—Mamdani's father is identified as Mahmood Mamdani, an anthropology professor at Columbia University. There are also false claims regarding Nair’s marital history, alleging her first marriage was to a relative of Epstein; this is inaccurate as she was married to photographer Mitch Epstein. Available public records and existing reports yield no evidence to substantiate any familial connections between Nair and Epstein, with "Epstein" being a predominant surname among Jewish families.
As of now, the NYC Mayor’s Office has not responded to requests for comment, and a representative for Mitch Epstein opted not to provide any statements regarding the situation.
