Nepal disaster: fake and AI images flood social media as deaths mount
France 24
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France 24
Original Source
As death toll mounts in Nepal's devastating floods, social media platforms are flooded with fake and AI-generated videos and images, alongside recycled footage from older disasters in other countries. While the disaster itself is genuine, misleading content continues to spread rapidly, exploiting the tragedy for engagement.
One widely shared video gained over 7 million views, appearing to show a torrent of floodwater bursting its banks, sweeping away vehicles and pedestrians. Users shared it as evidence of the devastation in Nepal, except that the video is AI-generated. It contains a SynthID digital watermark, indicating that it was created using Google’s AI tools.
Tools developed by major technology companies, including Google and Meta, can help identify digital watermarks and signs of AI-generated imagery, providing an increasingly important tool for verifying viral content during breaking news events.
Our fact-check found that several viral posts are either AI-generated, recycled from older disasters or filmed in other countries. The false content is adding to the confusion around the disaster and, in some cases, exploiting it for clicks and engagement.
Another viral post shows a dramatic before-and-after photomontage, claiming to show the destruction of a town. While genuine before-and-after images of the disaster are circulating, this particular montage is fake and was also created using AI.
It's not just images of destruction – even a seemingly heartwarming video claiming to show an elephant rescuing a trapped man has been falsely linked to the disaster. There are no credible reports that such a rescue took place in Nepal; the video was already circulating weeks before the flash floods broke out. Meta’s detection tools also found signs that the video was AI-generated.
While AI adds a layer of complexity to disaster misinformation, it isn't the only way false information is spreading. Old footage from other disasters is also being presented as scenes from Nepal. After reports that a glacial collapse may have contributed to the deadly flash floods, videos claiming to show the collapse in Nepal’s mountains near Tibet were viewed millions of times. One of those videos was actually filmed in Chilean Patagonia years ago, while another shows Alaska's Columbia Glacier and was previously posted by the pilot who recorded it.
Other old disaster footage has also been falsely linked to Nepal. One video showing a flash flood sweeping through a valley was widely shared as footage from the current disaster. It was actually filmed more than a year ago in Uttarakhand, India.
It is important to stress that while the images and videos examined here are fake or unrelated to Nepal, the disaster itself is very real, and genuine footage of the devastating floods is emerging from the affected areas.
Tools developed by major technology companies, including Google and Meta, can help identify digital watermarks and signs of AI-generated imagery, providing an increasingly important tool for verifying viral content during breaking news events.
Our fact-check found that several viral posts are either AI-generated, recycled from older disasters or filmed in other countries. The false content is adding to the confusion around the disaster and, in some cases, exploiting it for clicks and engagement.
Another viral post shows a dramatic before-and-after photomontage, claiming to show the destruction of a town. While genuine before-and-after images of the disaster are circulating, this particular montage is fake and was also created using AI.
It's not just images of destruction – even a seemingly heartwarming video claiming to show an elephant rescuing a trapped man has been falsely linked to the disaster. There are no credible reports that such a rescue took place in Nepal; the video was already circulating weeks before the flash floods broke out. Meta’s detection tools also found signs that the video was AI-generated.
While AI adds a layer of complexity to disaster misinformation, it isn't the only way false information is spreading. Old footage from other disasters is also being presented as scenes from Nepal. After reports that a glacial collapse may have contributed to the deadly flash floods, videos claiming to show the collapse in Nepal’s mountains near Tibet were viewed millions of times. One of those videos was actually filmed in Chilean Patagonia years ago, while another shows Alaska's Columbia Glacier and was previously posted by the pilot who recorded it.
Other old disaster footage has also been falsely linked to Nepal. One video showing a flash flood sweeping through a valley was widely shared as footage from the current disaster. It was actually filmed more than a year ago in Uttarakhand, India.
It is important to stress that while the images and videos examined here are fake or unrelated to Nepal, the disaster itself is very real, and genuine footage of the devastating floods is emerging from the affected areas.
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Tags:#نيبال#فيضانات#ذكاء اصطناعي#أخبار كاذبة#وسائل تواصل#تضليل معلومات
Source: France 24
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