No, the Vatican did not make a deal with Balenciaga!
In recent weeks, several artificial intelligence-generated images of Pope Francis went viral across social media. Many of them portrayed Pope Francis in a large white designer coat, which fooled countless users to believe in its authenticity.
The images resulted in widespread fake news and jokes.
While God gave humanity a sense of humor, differentiating between fiction and reality is also important. Sometimes, these jokes can spin out of control.
One recent story published on the media outlet Hyperallergic falsely stated that the Holy See struck a deal with the French designer fashion company Balenciaga.
The title of the story reads, “Vatican Partners With Balenciaga on ‘Spiritual’ Menswear Line.”
Underneath the title, the subheading reads, “A spokesperson for the Church cited ‘shared values’ with the fashion brand.”
The outlet also tweeted the piece:
Click here if you cannot see the post above.
The article also claims it spoke with the Holy See after several AI-generated images of Pope Francis surfaced.
“The Catholic clergy wanted to appeal to the younger generations who are abandoning faith in droves these days,” the article states.
“The spokesperson confirmed to Hyperallergic that it was the design team at Balenciaga who reached out to the Catholic Church to propose the concept of a faith-based clothing line, striking the iron while it’s hot after ‘Dope Francis’ went viral.”
Balenciaga received severe backlash from the public last year after featuring sexually explicit photos of children in their ads. The images also propagated satanism.
Hyperallergic labeled the story as satire and an April Fools’ joke, however, it also appeared in Google Discover recommendations. The outlet also published the article on social media without a disclaimer.
This can easily confuse readers if individuals do not see the satire label on the website.
Pope Francis calls for honest media and responsible AI use
In previous addresses, Pope Francis denounced the dishonest use of media.
“We have known for some time that news and even images can be easily manipulated, for any number of reasons, at times simply for sheer narcissism,” the Holy Father wrote in a 2021 address.
“All of us are responsible for the communications we make, for the information we share, for the control that we can exert over fake news by exposing it. All of us are to be witnesses of the truth: to go, to see, and to share.”
In a more recent address on March 27, 2023, Pope Francis discussed using AI technology responsibly. He believes that its use can positively impact “the future of humanity,” and “we cannot dismiss it.”
“At the same time,” the Holy Father added, “I am certain that this potential will be realized only if there is a constant and consistent commitment on the part of those developing these technologies to act ethically and responsibly.”