If you’ve been scrolling around social media lately, you may have noticed some suspicious supposed news items about Paul McCartney accompanied by photos of the Beatles legend that just don’t look quite real. Among these reports were articles and images claiming McCartney was planning a solo acoustic tour with Bob Dylan, and that Sir Paul paid a tearful visit to Sharon Osbourne after Ozzy Osbourne’s death.
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These items clearly were AI-generated fakes, and such online content was the subject of the latest installment of McCartney’s “You Gave Me the Answer” Q&A feature.
A fan named Daisy asked, “With so much AI out there now how do you deal with the misinformation or AI created content that is supposedly you? How can we be sure what might be official?”
McCartney began his response by quipping, “How do I know if this question isn’t even AI generated? Ha!”
He then noted, “Seriously though, there’s so much of it about and it can be hard to know what is real. I think most people can still tell the difference but some of it is getting pretty clever.”
Paul continued, “Friends are often telling me they’ve seen pictures of me doing things which I haven’t done. Or read things I’ve said that I’ve not said. Or there are songs appearing with me apparently on them. Some of it is really wild!”
McCartney concluded, “I always say that it’s best to check my website and my own social media accounts to see if it’s official, as that’s where we share news about what I’m up to. If it’s not there then the chances are that it’s fake news!””
Some Real McCartney News
So much for fake news, here are some real updates about the 83-year-old rock icon.
McCartney recently added a September 26 concert in Santa Barbara, California, to his upcoming 2025 North American tour. The show will kick off the trek, which is scheduled through a November 24-25 stand in Chicago.
Check out his full itinerary at PaulMcCartneyGotBack.com.
McCartney also is featured in Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, the new sequel to the classic 1984 rock mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap. In conjunction with the film, Paul contributed to a new version of the 1960s-influenced Spinal Tap song “Cups and Cakes.” The recording is featured on the movie’s soundtrack album, which is available now.
In addition, an in-depth book titled Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run, focusing on McCartney’s post-Beatles group, will be published on November 4. That same day, a new Wings compilation curated by Sir Paul will be released. The WINGS collection can be pre-ordered now. It will be available as a three-LP set and a two-CD collection featuring 32 tracks, a single CD or LP with 12 songs, and digitally.
Meanwhile, fans will soon be able to check out two new documentaries about McCartney. The first, titled Man on the Run, focuses on the launch his solo career, including his work with Wings. The movie recently premiered at the 2025 Telluride Film Festival. In the coming weeks, it will be screened in select theaters before debuting on the Prime Video streaming service in February 2026.
The second movie, The Beatle and the Bass, will premiere this fall as part of the BBC Arena documentary series. The movie tells the story of how Sir Paul was reunited with his famous Höfner bass guitar more than 50 years after it was stolen.
(Photo by Jim Dyson/Getty Images)
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