Multiple AI-generated photos falsely claiming to show New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani as a child and his mother, filmmaker Mira Nair, with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and his confidant Ghislaine Maxwell, along with other high-profile public figures, were widely shared on social media on Monday, February 2, 2026.
The images originated on an X account identified as parody following the release of a substantial cache of Epstein files by the U.S. Department of Justice on Friday, January 30, 2026. Analysis confirms the images are digitally watermarked as AI-generated and contain inconsistencies indicative of artificial creation.
The Origins of the Disinformation
The fabricated images depict various scenarios, including a group photo appearing to show a young Zohran Mamdani and Mira Nair alongside Maxwell, Epstein, former President Bill Clinton, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, and Microsoft founder Bill Gates on a city street at night. Another image portrays the same group in a tropical setting, with Epstein holding Clinton and Maxwell with Mamdani. Further iterations depict Mamdani as an infant being held by Nair while posing with Epstein, Clinton, Maxwell, and Bezos.
Google’s Gemini app detected SynthID, a digital watermarking tool used to identify AI-generated content, in all of the images. The X account that initially posted the images describes itself as “an AI-powered meme engine” dedicated to creating “high quality AI videos, and memes.” The account’s posts suggest a deliberate attempt to create misleading imagery, with one post acknowledging the fabrication and referencing the age of the depicted Mamdani.
Context: The Epstein Files Release and Initial Claims
The surge in these images followed the release of previously unreleased documents pertaining to Jeffrey Epstein. An email within the released files, penned by publicist Peggy Siegal in 2009, mentioned seeing a gathering of prominent figures, including Clinton, Bezos, and Nair, at an afterparty for a film held at Ghislaine Maxwell’s townhouse. This single reference sparked a wave of speculation and the creation and dissemination of the AI-generated images.
The images have fueled false claims, including the assertion that Epstein was Zohran Mamdani’s father. This claim is demonstrably false; Mamdani’s father is Mahmood Mamdani, an anthropology professor at Columbia University.
Mira Nair and Mitchell Epstein: Separating Fact from Speculation
The release of the Epstein files also prompted inquiries into the relationship between filmmaker Mira Nair and her former husband, Mitchell Epstein. However, investigations have confirmed that Mitchell Epstein is not related to Jeffrey Epstein. The shared surname is a coincidence. Mitchell Epstein is an American photographer and academic who met Nair in the 1970s while she was a student in the United States and he was her teacher. They married in the late 1970s and divorced years later, well before Jeffrey Epstein gained public notoriety. There is no evidence of any familial, social, or professional connection between the two men.
The Broader Implications of AI-Generated Disinformation
This incident highlights the growing threat of AI-generated disinformation and its potential to impact political discourse. The speed with which these fabricated images spread underscores the challenges of maintaining a shared reality in the digital age. The case of Zohran Mamdani serves as a stark example of how easily digital records can be manipulated and how quickly false narratives can take hold, particularly when linked to already sensitive and controversial figures like Jeffrey Epstein.
The incident also demonstrates the vulnerability of public figures to such attacks, particularly during periods of heightened scrutiny. The ease with which AI can create convincing but entirely fabricated imagery raises serious concerns about the integrity of online information and the potential for malicious actors to exploit these technologies for political or personal gain.
The New York City Mayor’s Office did not respond to a request for comment regarding the circulating images and claims.