Claim: An image shows a library full of books made of glass at a Swiss bus station.
Fact: The photo doing the rounds on social media is not real; it was generated by the Artificial Intelligence (AI) art tool Midjourney by Ulises AI.
On 16 April 2023, a Facebook user shared an image of a library with the Urdu language caption that translated into English reads, “A public library at a bus stand in Switzerland.”
The image shows people sitting and a library with books made of glass.
Fact or Fiction?
Soch Fact Check used reversed image search tools and found a Twitter thread published by AI educator Linus Ekenstam on 15 April 2023. The thread caption reads, “Artist Spotlight – UlisesAI. There are so many amazing creators on Midjourney. I would love to showcase as many of them as I can here. This thread is 100% devoted to ulises.work.”
In the thread, apart from the shared viral photo, several similar photos were found. The tweet caption reads, “Cultural Constellations. More cities should have these micro libraries.”
Further search led to Ulises’s Instagram profile, where the same images were published on 3 April 2023. However, the viral photo does not include any further information. The bio of the Instagram account states the page is run by a digital creator.
Soch Fact Check then visited Ulises’s website and found a feature article published by DesignBoom – a web magazine covering industrial design, architecture, and art internationally.
The article reads, “The Cultural Constellations series makes use of Midjourney to conceptualise a series of public elements, such as bus stops, canopies, and benches, made from translucent inflatable PVC and stacked with books.”
It further says that Ricardo Orts, founder of Studio Ulises, conceptualises street libraries to promote culture in the city, foster a sense of community, and bring city dwellers together with a shared space for enjoying literature.
Virality
The false claim was shared here, here, here, here, here, here, and here on Facebook.
On Twitter, it was shared here, here, and here.
Conclusion: The picture of a public library at a bus station in Switzerland is not real but generated through artificial intelligence.