AI image causes false reports about explosion outside the Pentagon !
Several news outlets mistook an AI generated image for a real one and falsely reported that there was indeed an explosion outside the Pentagon.
Claim
Explosion rocked near the Pentagon building in the USA (That was done by the Free United States Volunteer Group) – there mission is to end the dictatorship of the Biden Regime – They got the idea from a similar named group currently fighting in the border Region around Beogrod to free Russia from Dictator Putin)
Rating
Explanation
Several news reports in India reported that there was an explosion near the Pentagon building in the USA. News Media houses such as Zee News, Times Now Navbharat, News 18 Madhya Pradesh, First India News etc have reported about the alleged explosion outside the pentagon.
In the social media too, many similar posts were made with an image.
What’s the truth?
In our search, we were not able to find any credible news outlets which reported such incident. Through a keyword search on twitter, we found a tweet from Arlingtion County’s Fire and Emergency Medical Services which clarified that there was no explosion near the Pentagon and acknowledged that they are aware of such claims being made online.
@PFPAOfficial and the ACFD are aware of a social media report circulating online about an explosion near the Pentagon. There is NO explosion or incident taking place at or near the Pentagon reservation, and there is no immediate danger or hazards to the public. pic.twitter.com/uznY0s7deL
— Arlington Fire & EMS (@ArlingtonVaFD) May 22, 2023
Upon further search, we came to know that the viral image on social media, which was picked up by many news outlets, was an AI generated image.
A fake, apparently AI-generated image of an explosion outside the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, briefly went viral Monday morning, though the Department of Defense confirmed the image was fake. https://t.co/0V88XVpSbl
— Forbes (@Forbes) May 22, 2023
In a press briefing, Pentagon’s Press Secretary, Brigadier General Patrick Ryder, confirmed that there was no explosion and the images bogus. A transcript of the press briefing can be seen here.
It is important to note that ‘near perfect’ AI generated images are quite frequently used to spread misinformation. AI generated images of PM Modi, Pope Francis partying and Donald Trump getting arrested became viral which we have already fact checked.
The images generated by Artificial Intelligence (AI) are becoming increasingly sophisticated and virtually unrecognisable from real images and it is imperative to exercise utmost caution before trusting any image.
AI Generated pictures of The Pope are getting out of control 🤣🙏 pic.twitter.com/omHq1Rs1Xh
— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) April 23, 2023
Conclusion
An AI generated image of an explosion in Pentagon was wrongly reported by many news outlets as an real incident and it was virally shared in social media as well.
