Is the photo of Pope Francis in a white puffer jacket real?

The claim: Images of Pope Francis walking in a long, white, designer-style puffer jacket spread across social media, with many people sharing them as real photos.

Two years later, I still see this picture used in posts as if it were a real moment. It's the example I use whenever someone tells me "you can always tell an AI image".

What we found

• The images first appeared in March 2023 on Reddit, in a community dedicated to the AI image generator Midjourney.
• Fact-checkers including Full Fact and Snopes confirmed they were generated with artificial intelligence, not photographed.
• Looking closely shows the typical signs: a distorted hand around a water bottle and skin that looks unnaturally sharp and smooth.

Verdict

False. These are AI-generated images. It was one of the first times an AI image fooled so many people at once.

How to check AI images

1. Zoom in on hands, ears, text and jewellery.
2. Look for the original post and the account that created it.
3. Check whether any news outlet that was actually there reported it.