FMT Media Sdn Bhd managing director Azeem Abu Bakar said the image, believed to have been generated by artificial intelligence, was spotted making the rounds online.

Azeem said the fake image falsely represented the FMT brand and was a misuse of the company’s watermark.

“We want to assure our readers that the image was not produced by FMT and is in no way associated with our organisation,” he said in a statement.

He said the social media account holder has been asked to remove the watermark from the published image immediately.

He called on netizens to exercise vigilance when publishing content on social media and to verify the authenticity of content and images prior to publication, especially those generated by AI.

The fake image, which depicts Muhyiddin and Hamzah duelling in a ring, is an apparent reference to a leadership feud within Bersatu between the party president and his deputy.