Typos, AI watermark spark embarrassment over Modi’s Seychelles honour

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent honour from Seychelles drew online ridicule after users spotted spelling mistakes and a possible AI-generated image in the award citation circulated publicly.

Seychelles President Patrick Herminie presented Modi with the “Guardian of the Blue Horizon” distinction during the prime minister’s state visit. The honour, approved by the Seychelles cabinet on June 24, made Modi its first recipient and recognised his work on environmental conservation, the Blue Economy and support for Small Island Developing States.

Fact-checker Mohammed Zubair flagged errors in the citation’s seals and text, noting that one seal showed the Latin word “OPUS” instead of the classical-style spelling “OPVS,” and another seal misspelt “Republic” and “Seychelles” as “Repubblic” and “Seycheeles.” The circulated image also carried a SynthID watermark detected by OpenAI’s image verification tool, suggesting the certificate image may have been produced or altered using AI-generation tools.

Indian officials said the award recognises Modi’s “green leadership,” climate action and efforts on the Blue Economy. They noted Modi has previously received international honours, including Israel’s Knesset Medal.

The event took place during Seychelles’ Golden Jubilee independence celebrations, where President Herminie emphasised cooperation for a stable and prosperous Indian Ocean region.