Deepfake

Did the official X account of The White House post an AI generated picture of President Trump wielding a red lightsaber in front of a backdrop of American flags and eagles? Yes, that's true: The image was published on May 4, 2025, a day informally celebrated as "Star Wars Day" by fans of the franchise. According to an AI detection…

Did American President Donald Trump post a picture of himself in which he appeared to be dressed as Pope while holding up his right index finger? Yes, that's true: He posted the image to his Instagram account. According to at least one AI detector the image was generated using Artificial Intelligence. The image appeared on Trump's Instagram here (archived here)…

Does a set of before-and-after pictures authentically depict Miley Cyrus in May, 2025? No, that's not true: No contemporaneous photo shows the singer looking like the cadaverous caricature shown in a social media post. Tools for detection of generative AI images show the image on the right was concocted using AI tools. The images appeared in a May 1, 2025…

Is a video of President Trump threatening to "erase Pakistan" if it attacks India authentic? No, that's not true: The video uses old footage of Trump from before he was President and added an AI generated audio track. In the fake audio Trump can also be heard saying he will "warn China" and that he loves "Indian people". The video…

Is a mugshot showing Judge Hannah Dugan in a grey polo shirt in front of a height chart real? No, that's not true: The image of the Milwaukee Judge who was arrested by the FBI for allegedly obstructing ICE agents appears to have been generated using generative artificial intelligence image makers. Two AI detection services rated the image more than…

Did U.S. President Donald Trump show a Fox News host a Trump 2028 hat placed on the wall in the Oval Office? No, that's not true: The viral video was digitally altered. The original Fox News segment showed Trump unveiling the Declaration of Independence. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on X on April 25, 2025. It…

Is the pyramidal peak in Antarctica's Ellsworth Mountains the topic of an expert debate over whether it is a masonry pyramid constructed during Antarctica's last warm period, millions of years ago? No, that's not true: There is no credentialled scholar or explorer with on-the-ground knowledge making that case. The nameless mountain in Antarctica's Ellsworth Range sits in a well-studied range…

Did the South African Broadcasting Corporation air a news segment saying Ukrainian President Zelenskyy bought a 51% stake in mining company Northam Platinum? No, that's not true: No such video appears on the website or social media accounts of SABC News. The audio in the segment was generated using Artificial Intelligence according to online detection tools and Northam confirmed to…

Does a viral clip show authentic archival footage of U.S. President Ronald Reagan telling a story about his conversation with a child who wanted to solve homelessness? No, that's not true: Two AI detectors found that the clip utilized AI generated sound. The video recycled the recording of Reagan's last presidential address from the Oval Office, but in reality, he…

Is "leaked" audio of Elon Musk telling President Donald Trump that "Tesla is going down" authentic? No, that's not true: Five tests included in the University at Buffalo Media Forensic Lab's Deepfake-O-Meter rated probability that the audio file is AI-generated at between 97.8 to 100 percent. The posts promoting the audio as real do not include any supporting evidence. The…