Those ‘2016 and 2025’ Photos of Sam Smith? Neither One Is Real
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99.9%
AI Probability, Both Images
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2016
Real Photo the Fake Was Built On
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2
Fabricated Images Spread Together
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Medium
Fooled Index
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AI-GENERATED — Both images claim to show real moments. A detector rated both 99.9% likely to be AI-made.
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On September 20, 2026, an X account posted two side-by-side images claiming to show singer-songwriter Sam Smith in 2016 and again in 2025, framing the visual difference between them as proof of some kind of dramatic personal transformation. The post also included a video clip of Smith performing. Neither image actually shows how Smith looked in those years.
The Hive Moderation AI-detection tool rated both images 99.9% likely to be AI-generated. Fact-checkers traced part of the "2016" image back to a real, genuine Getty Images photo of Smith at the 88th Academy Awards on February 28, 2016, which had been digitally reworked into something new rather than used as-is. Neither the "2016" nor the "2025" image matches verified real photography of Smith from those respective years.
This kind of fabricated "before and after" pairing is a common manipulation tactic: taking a real, recognizable photo as a starting point, then using AI to alter it into something dramatically different, so the fake gains a borrowed sense of credibility from the genuine image it was built on top of.
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A detector rated it 99.9%. Hive Moderation's AI-detection tool flagged both the "2016" and "2025" images as almost certainly AI-generated.
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One image traces to a real, unrelated photo. Part of the "2016" image was built from a genuine Getty photo of Smith at the 2016 Academy Awards, digitally reworked into something new.
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Neither photo matches the real years claimed. Verified photography of Smith from 2016 and 2025 looks nothing like either image in the viral post.
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A real photo was used as a starting point. Building a fake on top of a genuine image is a common tactic that lets the fabrication borrow credibility from something real.
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🚨 100% AI-Generated
Neither image actually shows Sam Smith as he looked in 2016 or 2025. Both were confirmed AI-generated by a detection tool, and one was partly built on top of a real, unrelated photo from a completely different event, reworked into something new.
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That Video of JD Vance Asking for ‘Another Chance’? Never Posted, Anywhere
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A video spread on X on September 20, 2026, appearing to show Vice President JD Vance speaking personally, saying "things are bad" and asking for "another chance." The clip first appeared on a TikTok account that labeled its own content "AI-generated," roughly five hours before it resurfaced on X without that label attached. Two separate AI-detection tools, FauxLens and ZeroGPT, both flagged signs the footage was AI-generated, and an out-of-place couch-and-heart image briefly visible behind him in the clip doesn't match his real podcast appearance the footage was built from. A check of Vance's verified Instagram, X, Truth Social, and personal accounts turned up no matching post from that period.
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YOUR REALITY DETECTOR TOOLKIT |
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Today’s Skill: Trace a ‘Before’ Photo Back to Its Real Source
A convincing fake often starts with one genuine image, quietly reworked.
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Trace a ‘before’ photo back to its real source
Part of the fake Sam Smith image was built from a real, unrelated 2016 red carpet photo. A reverse image search can often find the genuine photo a fake was built on top of.
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Check for a dropped disclosure label
The Vance video carried an "AI-generated" label on its first platform, which was gone by the time it resurfaced elsewhere. A disclosure that disappears somewhere along the way is a red flag worth noticing.
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Check the person’s own verified accounts directly
None of Vance's real accounts had any post matching the viral video. If a claim is about something someone supposedly posted, go check their actual account before believing it.
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