Wrote: Fatbardh Dema
On social media Facebook, the account named "Spartacus the Warrior", on Sunday (February 22) published an image depicting Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani shaking hands with American entrepreneur Elon Musk.
The description of this post claims that during her visit to the US, Osmani met with Musk, where the latter promised hundreds of millions in investments in Kosovo. It is also claimed that this news was published in the American newspaper "The Washington Post".
What's wrong with this post?
The claim made by the aforementioned site turns out to be false, after fact-checking by hibrid.info. Even the photo used in the post turns out to be generated with artificial intelligence.
Original description of content published on Facebook
ELON MUSK PROMISES INVESTMENTS OF HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS IN KOSOVO AFTER MEETING WITH PRESIDENT VJOSA OSMANI
"During her official visit to the United States of America, the President of the Republic of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, held a high-level meeting with the renowned global businessman, Elon Musk. The conversation focused on economic development strategies and opportunities for major investments in Kosovo.
Mr. Musk, known for his innovative projects in the fields of technology and energy, expressed concrete interest in the potential that Kosovo offers as an investment destination. He promised to soon realize an investment worth hundreds of millions of dollars, describing the meeting as “extremely fruitful and inspiring.”
Sources close to the delegation confirmed that Musk was impressed by President Osmani's vision and strategic approach. At a warm moment during the meeting, he added with humor: "You are an increasingly attractive leader, and you are becoming our favorite every time."
FACTS
After research conducted online, hibrid.info confirmed that Osmani did not meet with Musk during her visit to the US.
A meeting with him was not reported in any media, either international or local (see here and here). Likewise, not even in her official accounts on Facebook e X, or on the website of Presidency, there are no reports of any meeting with the American businessman.
While the content published on Facebook mentions and displays the logo of the American newspaper "The Washington Post", hibrid.info has checked the official website of this medium for any published articles about the Osmani-Musk meeting, but the results do not show any articles that would support the claim made.
It was also confirmed that the image was generated through artificial intelligence. The image detection platform "Hivemoderation.com"It estimates that the image showing Osmani and Musk was 96.3% generated with AI." (see photo below)
It should be noted that Osmani met with Musk in Paris in December 2024, at the reopening ceremony of the iconic Notre-Dame cathedral. (see here)
Analyze:
A Facebook post claims that during an official visit to the US, Kosovo's President Vjosa Osmani met with American entrepreneur Elon Musk, who allegedly promised hundreds of millions in investments in Kosovo. The post also mentions that the news was published by "The Washington Post".
After fact-checking by hibrid.info, it was determined that the claim is false. There is no reporting in local or international media about such a meeting during Osman's recent visit to the US, nor on the official channels of the Presidency. Also, there is no article on the website of "The Washington Post" that supports this claim.
Analysis of the published image has proven that the photo showing Osmani and Musk shaking hands was generated with artificial intelligence.
Therefore, based on its work methodology, hibrid.info assesses this content as "Fake News" and "Fraud".
Reasoning:
The “Fake News” rating is given to informational content that is entirely fabricated or that contains factually incorrect claims or information. Content that is rated as fake news can be defined as having been created and distributed with the intent to misinform the public, i.e., to present a claim that is completely false as fact.
The “Deception” rating is given to informational content that is manipulated in terms of visual (deepfake, cheapfake), audio, or textual content to deceive the audience. This form of deception is usually used to produce false and manipulated content.