AI ‘deepfakes’ of Hurricane Helene victims circulate on social media, ‘hurt real people’
In the wake of Hurricane ꦿHelene, misinformation has flooded the internet, including two doctored AI images of a desperate, sobbing child aboard a boat in supposed floodwaters.
At first glance, the photos floating around online simply show a child in a lifejacket holding a dog as rain from the storm — the worst to hit the US since Hurricane Katrina in 2005 — continues to drench them.
A closer look, however, r💖eveals several discrepancies between the two nearly identical photos, as
In one photo, the child even has an extra, misplaced fing🅷er.
She is also wearing two different shirts and sits in a different type of boat in each photo. The pup’s coat is also slightly darker in one shot, which is also more blurred and pixelated.
Sen. of Utah was ꦉamong , sharing it on X Thursday and writing, “Caption this photo.” He later▨ deleted it after users pointed out that the image was fake.
One Facebook user also fell for the “deepfake” image, sharing it with the caption, “Dear God, help our babies and their families!”
Some commenters 💧called out the obviouꦕs signs that it had been tampered with.
Manipulated images portraying disasters can have long-term consequences,🥂 complicate relief efforts, create false narratives, erode public trust in times of crisis and hurt real people, Forbes reported. They can also be used to scam people into donating to fake fundraisers, though it is not clear if the image of the child has been used for that purpose.
An AI-generated image shared widely online in May depicted rows of neatly organized tents in Gaza with several tents in the center spelling out “All Eyes on Rafah.”
The fake photo was shared by tens of millions of people on social media, including Noble Pea𝓀ce Prize winner Malala Yousafzai and model Gigiꩲ Hadid, but critics say it failed to capture the reality of the war-torn region.
“People෴ have been posting really graphic and disturbing content to raise awareness and that gets censored while a piece of synthetic media goes viral,” Deborah Brown, a senior researcher and advocate on digital rights for the Human Rights Watch group
Other misinformation regarding Hurricane Helene has spiraled online, prompting FEMA to launch a page on its website, tackling falsehoods claiming the agency is confiscating survivors’ properties, distributing aid based on demographic characteristics, and seizing donations and supplies.
One conspiracy theoriz🐷ed the government used weather control technology to aim the hurricane at Republican voters,
“Help keep yourself, your family and your community safe after Hurricane Helene by being aware of rumors and scams and sharing ,” FEMA advised.
