FACT CHECK: X Image Does Not Show Authentic TIME Magazine Cover About DeepSeek ‘Sweatshop’

An image shared on X claims to show a TIME Magazine cover about Chinese startup DeepSeek’s purported “sweatshop.”

When innovation comes at the cost of human dignity, is it progress or exploitation? DeepSeek’s sweatshop story isn’t just about one company, but a mirror reflecting the dark side of our tech-driven dreams. If we chase brilliance without conscience, who pays the price? This cover… pic.twitter.com/Ice1IYOwvN

— Evola (@MemeticPrimer) February 10, 2025

Verdict: False

A content detection scan using the website “Hive Moderation” indicates the image is 97.4% likely to have been generated with artificial intelligence (AI). In addition, an AI expert denied the image’s authenticity in an email to Check Your Fact.

Fact Check:

DeepSeek recently announced that it will open-source five code repositories, according to Reuters. The company previously released its open-source R1 reasoning model, the outlet reported.

The X image claims to show a TIME Magazine cover about Chinese startup DeepSeek’s purported “sweatshop.”

“When innovation comes at the cost of human dignity, is it progress or exploitation? DeepSeek’s sweatshop story isn’t just about one company, but a mirror reflecting the dark side of our tech-driven dreams. If we chase brilliance without conscience, who pays the price? This cover is a wake-up call. Are we building a better future or just another prison for the voiceless?” the image’s caption reads.

“DeepSeek Sweatshop The Dark Side Of Innovation,” the purported TIME Magazine cover reads. (RELATED: Did Trump ‘Declare War Against Chemtrails?’)

The claim is false. Check Your Fact conducted a content detection scan using the website, “Hive Moderation,” and the results indicate the image is 97.4% likely to have been AI-generated. According to the results of the same scan, the image was probably created using the program, “Flux.”

Likewise, Check Your Fact did not find the purported cover on TIME Magazine’s website, its online archives, or its verified social media accounts. In addition, Check Your Fact did not find any credible news reports to support the claim. On Feb. 20, AFP debunked the claim, reporting the image is AI-generated.

Furthermore, Dr. Walter Scheirer, an AI expert at the University of Notre Dame, denied the image’s authenticity in an email to Check Your Fact.

“This Time Magazine cover is a very poor quality AI generated image. The cover is littered with unintelligible writing and obvious misspellings like ‘Time Magaznes,’ it is hard to imagine that anyone would mistake this image for a real cover,” Scheirer said.