Deepfakes

Did Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift attend a "No Kings Day" protest and is there a photo to prove it? No, that's not true: A viral story about the appearance of the pair was illustrated with a photo generated with artificial intelligence. The story also mentioned social media posts by the couple that they didn't actually make and there were…

Did President Trump announce in a video that the production of Tesla cars would be banned in the United States? No, that's not true:The audio in the viral video, in which Trump could also be heard calling Elon Musk a "snake", was generated using AI according to a detection tool. It originated on an Instagram account with "AI" in its…

Does a viral image show three actual Russian TU-95 bombers and an unknown fourth plane damaged in a Ukrainian drone strike? No, that's not true: Some detection tools say the image shows strong evidence of being forged or synthesized using artificial intelligence. The image also contains tell-tale details that do not match with other photographs of such planes, including elements…

Does a video authentically show WNBA star Caitlin Clark describing an encounter with WNBA star Angel Reese telling Clark "You're only here because you're white."? No, that's not true: A voice cloning detection tool concluded that the narration of the video was AI-generated. A Google search of the sentence only found copies of the same fake video and no evidence…

Did clips shared widely in May 2025 authentically show Elon Musk and former CNN anchor Don Lemon arguing during an interview? No, that's note true: The video included audio that was fake, and most likely AI-generated. The clips added the fake audio and lip movements to authentic footage of a real discussion between Musk and Lemon that was published in…

Did California's first female architect Julia Morgan design a reinforced concrete tower in 1904 that survived a 1906 San Francisco earthquake? Yes, that's true: The "El Campanil" bell tower on the Mills College campus in Oakland was undamaged by the magnitude 7.9 quake that devastated the area. The success of Morgan's pioneering use of concrete reinforced by steel was key…

Did a widely-shared video authentically show an "emotional support kangaroo" denied entry to a plane, as the animal's owner argues with gate staff? No, that's not true: The clip originated on an Instagram account that produces AI-generated content. The text on the kangaroo's boarding pass, and the non-existent language spoken by the humans in the video, were clues that the…

Does a video shared on social platforms show an authentic Arctic woolly snake discovered by researchers in Antarctica? No, that's not true: The video was created by an artificial intelligence tool, not by a camera that recorded real people handling a real creature, according to an AI detection tool used by Lead Stories. A search online for information about the…

Does ice cream brand Ben & Jerry's sell a flavor called "From the River" featuring a Palestinian flag on the packaging? No, that's not true: A viral image which also showed people with "Press" on their clothes carrying watermelons and cameras was generated using artificial intelligence. Ben & Jerry's website featured no such flavor or packaging. The viral image appeared…

Did Barron Trump, son of President Trump, get married to Spanish crown princess Leonor and was all of this documented in a lavish wedding video? No, that's not true: A youtube account named "Lovely Trump Family" put out several videos purporting to show such a dream wedding but they all carried disclaimers saying they were generated using artificial intelligence. In…

Does a photo shared on social media authentically show Houthis missiles targeting Israel's Ben Gurion Airport in May 2025? No, that's not true: The Houthis' attempt to target the airport on May 18, 2025, failed when Israel's air defenses intercepted the rockets. There was a Houthi missile that hit near the airport on May 4, but none since. The image…

Did Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-NJ, start singing "You Fight On" during a CNN interview about her recent arrest on an assault charge at an ICE facility? No, that's not true: The purported video of the spontaneous singing was digitally created by the administrator of a parody account on X.com. The video's creator acknowledged this in a post, and the account…

Does this video authentically document the Israeli military bombing Gaza, as a social media post claimed? No, that's not true: The video originated on a TikTok account named "@everythingai97" with a bio that says: "DISCLAIMER: ALL VIDEOS I POST ARE AI GENERATED." Several elements of the video reveal digital artifacts of the kind often found in videos that are made…

Did President Donald Trump announce in a video that "Pride Month is canceled" and that it would be replaced with something called "Confidence Month" in June? No, that's not true: A viral video that also has Trump saying things like "poop is poop" and "pride is a sin" had an audio track generated using AI. The video part was from…

Does authentic video show a Tesla cybertruck is not destroyed when a boulder described as a ton of rock is dropped on it? No, that's not true: The video originates from a social media account that specializes in generative AI fake videos. The same account features videos of a Yeti frozen in a block of ice, a giant spiked sea…

Did several viral videos accurately report Whoopi Goldberg collapsed in court after losing an $800 million lawsuit to Karoline Leavitt? No, that's not true: The fictional lawsuit did not happen and the video used AI generated imagery of Goldberg. The channel that posted the video included a disclaimer saying it did "not claim absolute truth" and that the video was…

Does a viral video authentically show several cruise ships dumping raw sewage into the sea using huge pipes? No, that's not true: According to several AI detection tools the video was generated using artificial intelligence. It also contains several tell-tale signs of AI generation such as elements that blend into each other and bizarre features on the pipelines themselves. An…

Did a video shared widely in May 2025 authentically show President Donald Trump describing the 2023 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio as "the largest environmental terror attack in world history" and "an inside job"? No, that's not true: Trump never made such remarks. The clip in question contained fake audio and edited mouth movements, both likely the products of…

Does an image authentically show (presumably) Palestinian women and children crying on demand for a cameraman wearing a green on white headband with Arabic lettering on it? No, that's not true: The scene, which also contained rubble and a boom microphone, was AI-generated according to at least two detection tools. It also contained telltale signs of AI such as weird…

Did UK newspaper The Daily Telegraph publish a story headlined "Pakistan Air Force: The Undisputed King Of The Skies"? No, that's not true: A viral image showing such a title has been fabricated, no such article appeared on the website of The Daily Telegraph. The image contained several mistakes that are indicative of the use of AI tools, such as…