Khawaja Asif on the AI Marilyn Monroe riddle trolling: 'I am a normal human being' who runs his own X account

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has brushed off a wave of online trolling over his reply to an AI-generated picture of Marilyn Monroe, saying he is "a normal human being" with "nothing special" about him, Dawn reported on Friday.

What he posted

On Tuesday 13 October, Asif reshared a "spot the odd item" riddle on X: an AI-made image of Monroe set in 1956. His answer was "watch", pointing out that she was wearing a smartwatch, which did not exist in the 1950s. He later deleted the post.

The reply went viral. Users questioned whether it was fitting for a defence minister to be solving picture puzzles online, and Indian media picked up the story, according to Dawn.

What he said on Geo

Appearing on Geo News's programme Naya Pakistan on Friday 16 October, Asif was asked whether he runs the account himself. "Two hundred per cent I operate it myself," he said, according to Dawn.

He said he keeps the account "for fun" and asked whether, as defence minister, he should give up his own identity.

Why it caught on

The post came in a tense week between Pakistan and India: Islamabad has warned of a "forceful response" after Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh threatened a bigger strike. A light-hearted puzzle answer from the defence minister's account gave critics on both sides an easy target.

The riddle itself is a common format on social media: an AI image with one thing out of place for its era. The answer he gave was right.

Spotting AI images yourself

AI pictures of real people, old or new, are now everywhere on WhatsApp and X. Look for objects that do not fit the period, hands and text that look wrong, and check whether a trusted outlet has published the same image before you share it. National CERT also advises caution with what you share online; its latest advice on live location sharing is worth a read.