Viral Dua Lipa wedding photos were AI-generated

Did Dua Lipa celebrate her wedding in Sicily by eating spaghetti straight out of a pot?

That’s what many social media users appeared to believe after a series of photos claiming to show the pop star marrying actor Callum Turner in a lavish Italian wedding went viral online.

The photos, some more obviously AI-generated than others, appeared to show Dua posing with guests and dancing with famous faces in the streets of Sicily.

But these images are not real. They were generated using artificial intelligence and spread rapidly across social media platforms, including X, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.

Although some users quickly identified the images as AI-generated, others appeared to be convinced they were genuine photographs from the wedding.

Some media outlets also appeared to mix the two, with several digital outlets in India and South Africa confusing the photos for real images of Lipa and her now-husband Turner dancing at a welcome party in Palermo. Italian radio station R101 also posted the images on Instagram before deleting them.

The photos were created by Italian digital artist Rick Dick, known for his AI-generated satirical and artistic content inspired by celebrities and the fashion industry.

He initially shared the pictures with the hashtag #ai, but they soon spread far beyond his original audience, racking up millions of views.

Rick told The Cube, Euronews’ fact-checking team, that he was surprised to see the scale of the reaction.

“What made me laugh most was that some people took the images as real, even though several of them were intentionally quite absurd and clearly meant as a joke,” he said.

According to the artist, the more significant issue emerged after the images were reposted by other accounts.

“The real issue, in my opinion, is what happens after these images are reposted,” he told us. “On my profile, they are clearly presented as AI-generated content, but when they are shared elsewhere, my logo and attribution are often removed, and the images are sometimes presented as if they were genuine photographs.”

The artist said his intention was never to deceive viewers into believing the images were authentic.

“They are meant as light-hearted and playful caricatures inspired by a highly talked-about private event that attracted enormous attention online,” he said.

It is not the first time AI-generated images linked to a celebrity wedding have gone viral.

Earlier this year, actress Zendaya revealed that even some people in her personal life believed AI-generated images showing her marrying actor Tom Holland were genuine after the pictures spread widely online.

Controversy in Palermo

The wedding of Dua Lipa and Callum Turner in Palermo has prompted international attention and debate among local residents.

Some welcomed the arrival of international guests, including Charli XCX and Donatella Versace, while others raised concerns about disruption linked to the three-day event.

Among the critics was the collective Apro Palermo, which campaigns against overtourism. The group was behind posters across the city reading “Palermo Is Not for Rent”, highlighting concerns about the impact of large-scale events and tourism on local communities.

As for real photographs of the wedding, several photo agencies captured videos and images of guests at a welcome party in Palermo, but so far, no official pictures have emerged of the ceremony or reception.