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Viral AI-Generated Hurricane Hoaxes Spread Confusion on Social Media
30 Oct
Summary
- Fake videos of sharks in a hotel pool and a ravaged airport in Jamaica circulate online
- AI video generators make it easy to create and spread realistic-looking misinformation
- Experts warn it's becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish AI-generated content from real footage
As Hurricane Melissa churned across the Caribbean this week, a wave of AI-generated misinformation has flooded social media. Viral videos purporting to show the storm's devastation, including footage of sharks swimming in a Jamaican hotel pool and the Kingston airport being ravaged, have racked up millions of views on platforms like X, TikTok, and Instagram.
However, these clips are not real. They were created using AI video generators, making it easy for bad actors to produce and spread realistic-looking but entirely fabricated content. Jamaica's education minister has urged the public to rely on official channels for information, as many of these videos are fake.
