&Quot;Deepfake&Quot;

Did Elon Musk publicly announce plans to "officially" buy McDonald's in November 2024? No, that's not true: As of this publication, there is no record of Musk having formally announced plans to buy the food company, and McDonald's has not reported such a purchase. Furthermore, an online AI detector tool found that images published in the post that depicted Musk…

Does a video on social media show podcaster Joe Rogan discussing the topic of rat meat supposedly in Chinese food, and how a person might find out about "how to heal the body from the toxins they feed us" in a podcast? No, that's not true: The deepfake detection platform TrueMedia.org determined with 100 percent confidence that the audio in…

Is Elon Musk developing robots that can carry a fertilized fetus to term for nine months, as posts on social media claim? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that such a robot is in development as of this writing. Musk did not talk about this at his October 2024 event, "We, Robot." A version of the claim appeared…

Did Donald Trump call British protesters to join a march on the U.K. parliament in October 2024? No, that's not true: A video that purported to have narration by Trump showed signs that it was not authentic, according to several AI detectors. Lead Stories found no credible sources confirming that Trump ever said the words attributed to him. The claim…

Does a video clip going viral on social media show Vice President Kamala Harris intoxicated while speaking about being "a joyful warrior"? No, that's not true: In the original video Harris can be heard speaking normally. Multiple AI detection tools found there was a high likelihood that this clip has been manipulated. The video was altered to make Harris sound…

Does an authentic video show former Minnesota high school student "Matthew Metro" alleging that Tim Walz sexually assaulted him? No, that's not true: According to multiple AI video and audio detection tools, the video circulating on social media of "Matthew Metro" was AI generated. There's no credible evidence or verified reports supporting the allegation that the Minnesota governor and Democratic…

Did Elon Musk post a promo code to his crypto project on X, and was that post then used to make a Times Square billboard promotion in New York City? No, that's not true: This is a fabricated image promoting a crypto currency scam. There is no evidence that Musk made this post or that the crypto promotion ever appeared…

Does a photo shared on X truly show two heavily armed men waiting in line at a fast-food restaurant? No, that's not true: Several AI detectors found substantial evidence to suggest the image was fake. Garbled text and abnormalities in human features also indicated it was created using AI. The photo was posted on X on September 24, 2024, (archived…

Does a viral video prove that Britney Spears, Madonna, Beyonce and other celebrities have performed satanic rituals? No, that's not true: The video was made up of still images generated by AI, according to AI detectors. The images contained multiple distortions in the hands and legs of those stars the pictures supposedly portrayed. The claim, an old one, resurfaced in…

Did Gov. Gavin Newsom sign a bill banning memes and parody in California? No, that's not true: The bill specifically exempts "Materially deceptive content that constitutes satire or parody." The Defending Democracy from Deepfake Deception Act of 2024 mandates that large online platforms either remove or label deceptive and digitally altered election-related content during specific timeframes. The claim appeared in…