AI-generated images circulated claiming to show New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and his mother, Mira Nair, with Jeffrey Epstein and other public figures. Google’s Gemini detected SynthID watermarks in the images, and they first appeared on a parody X account that produces AI memes. The photos are inconsistent with known facts — Mamdani was 18 in 2009 — and the claim that Epstein is his father is false.
Fact Check: AI-Generated Images Falsely Show NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani With Jeffrey Epstein
A document that was included in the U.S. Department of Justice release of the Jeffrey Epstein files is photographed Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, shows the report when Epstein was taken into custody on July 6, 2019. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)
Multiple digitally manufactured images circulated widely on social media claiming to show New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani as a child alongside his mother, filmmaker Mira Nair, with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell and other high-profile figures. Those images are forgeries created or altered with artificial intelligence and bear machine-detected watermarks identifying them as AI-generated.
What Was Claimed
Users shared several photos that purported to place Mamdani and Nair in group photos with Epstein, Maxwell and public figures such as Bill Clinton, Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates. Some images depicted Mamdani as a baby or preteen and spurred additional false assertions — including an unfounded claim that Epstein was Mamdani’s father.
What We Found
- All of the images examined contain digital SynthID watermarks detected by Google’s Gemini app, indicating they were generated or edited with AI.
- The images first appeared on an X (formerly Twitter) account that labels itself a parody and describes its output as “AI-powered” memes and videos. A later post on the account appears to acknowledge creating the images: “Damn you guys failed… I purposely made him a baby…”
- The visual details in the photos do not hold up to scrutiny. For example, Mamdani is shown as a child in scenes tied to a 2009 event, but he was 18 in 2009 — inconsistent with the images’ depictions.
- Claims linking other public figures (such as Clinton, Gates or Bezos) to Epstein’s crimes are unsupported. None of Epstein’s known victims has publicly accused those individuals of involvement in his crimes.
- The viral allegation that Epstein is Mamdani’s father is false. Zohran Mamdani’s father is Mahmood Mamdani, an anthropology professor at Columbia University.
Context
The images began circulating after a tranche of newly released documents related to Jeffrey Epstein was posted by the Justice Department. That timing appears to have prompted opportunistic, AI-generated content aimed at drawing attention and sowing confusion.
Takeaway
These images are not authentic photographs and were created or altered with AI. Treat such viral images skeptically, check for digital watermarks or provenance, and rely on reputable fact-checking sources before sharing. For more details, see the AP Fact Check repository: https://apnews.com/APFactCheck.
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