A post shared on social media purports to show a Norman Rockwell painting that shares a strong similarity to a photo of Elon Musk and his son.

Have you all seen this?! I’ve been a Rockwell fan for a long long time-I own two small works of his. I’ve even seen a print of this very painting. It’s truly UNCANNY the crazy resemblance here! We are in a simulation Elon was right-The most entertaining outcome is the most likely https://t.co/jGMMCSMjev

— Ryan Johnson (@McgregorJonryan) December 6, 2024

Verdict: False

The photo is not a genuine Rockwell piece.

Fact Check:

Musk and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy’s new department will be looking to cut trillions of dollars from government spending,  ABC News reported. Musk has announced that remote work will also be targeted after a report found that 6% are full-time and in person, according to the outlet.

A post shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, allegedly shows a painting from Rockwell that has a strong resemblance to a recent photo of Musk and his son. In the alleged Rockwell photo, a young boy is sitting on the shoulders of a man that is holding his legs.

The caption reads, “Have you all seen this?! I’ve been a Rockwell fan for a long long time-I own two small works of his. I’ve even seen a print of this very painting. It’s truly UNCANNY the crazy resemblance here! We are in a simulation. Elon was right-The most entertaining outcome is the most likely.”

The claim is inaccurate. There is no evidence that this is an authentic Norman Rockwell painting. The image does not appear in a search of the Norman Rockwell Museum. The AI detection tool Hive Moderation suggests that the image is 61% likely to be AI generated.

 

The image appears to stem from an account that creates AI images. The account’s bio reads, “founder mode // AI & America.” (RELATED: Did Elon Musk Once State That He Wished To ‘Make Life Harder For Trans People’?)

There are AI tools for a style transfer that can manipulate the texture and color of the image. The style transfer tool Fritz describes the software saying, “Style transfer is a computer vision technique that allows us to recompose the content of an image in the style of another. If you’ve ever imagined what a photo might look like if it were painted by a famous artist, then style transfer is the computer vision technique that turns this into a reality.” It is likely that this or a similar program was used.

This is not the first time an altered image has circulated online. Check Your Fact recently debunked a claim that a photo showed a woman with an pro-abortion sign that suggests she does not want her current daughter.