Deepfakes

Does an authentic video document "fake HOA police" trying to arrest a Black man but finding out he is a feared agent of the FBI? No that's not true: The video is a production of a social media account that uses AI to produce videos. The account states the stories they share are not real but ones that "everyday people…

Does a real soldier appear in uniform in the "Troops Against Trump" video, asking "I swore an oath to defend the constitution...What happened to us?" No that's not true: The video is the production of a social media account that labels itself a satire producer. In addition to the account's disclosure that it uses AI to produce videos, there are…

Does a video describe a real CNN debate between Jasmine Crockett and Mike Huckabee involving a bible quote? No, that's not true: The description of the viral YouTube video makes it clear the entire interaction was a work of fiction created using artificial intelligence. Searches of CNN's website for the supposed debate brought up no results. The video (archived here)…

Is the video of Michelle Wu calling Donald Trump an "asshole" in a high pitched voice authentic? No, that's not true: The video is footage taken from Boston Mayor Wu's press conference where she spoke about federal immigration issues that was posted on C-SPAN and local news. In the original video Wu did not name-call the president or speak about…

Is a video of Italy's prime minister Giorgia Meloni describing President Trump being a "mix of sweat and flatulence" and "a giant moving biogas pit" authentic? No, that's not true: The video includes a disclaimer that reads "Creator labeled as AI-generated" on the TikTok channel where it originated. It has been widely shared on social media platforms by other accounts…

Is the video of Amy Klobuchar commenting on the Sydney Sweeney American Eagle jeans and where she mentions "perfect titties" authentic? No, that's not true: Klobuchar wrote an opinion piece in the New York Times calling the video "A.I. deepfake." The fake was built using a video posted by the Minnesota senator on her official YouTube account from a hearing…

Does a viral image authentically show soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo and his fiancee Georgina Rodriguez married and at their wedding? No, that's not true: The image contained glitches and discrepancies typical of AI generated images and at least one detection tool found evidence of deepfake content. The couple announced their engagement via social media on August 11, 2025 and have…

Does a viral image authentically show several European leaders like Emmanuel Macron and Ursula von der Leyen sitting on chairs in a White House corridor? No, that's not true: The image did not appear on any news sites. It contained glitches and discrepancies typical of AI generated images and at least one detection tool found signs of deepfake content. One…

Did Kid Rock endorse California Governor Gavin Newsom in mid-August 2025? No, that's not true: The origin of the viral image is satirical. The picture was a parody of Donald Trump's post from the previous year, when he said he accepted Taylor Swift's nonexistent endorsement from an AI generated image. What looked like a statement appeared in a post (archived…

Are stories about a former foster child named Lily Tran getting into Stanford and being called on stage to sing with their celebrity idol real? No, that's not true: There are several versions of the story circulating on social media in which different celebrities keep a promise to sing together if she got into Stanford. Lead Stories found versions with…

Is a photo showing Melania Trump kissing Jeffrey Epstein an authentic image and was it "unseen" until aired by Stephen Colbert? No, that's not true: The photo is not real and it was not shown on an episode of CBS's "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert." The Hive Moderation AI content detection tool rated the image as 99% fake. The…

Is that viral video of an adult gorilla beating up a crocodile authentic footage of the adult protecting a juvenile gorilla? No, that's not true: Sseveral visual artifacts that are evidence of common shortcomings of video concocted by generative AI. Among them, a white halo around the gorilla's outline, unnatural stiffness of the crocodile, and a fight in mud that…

Is a video showing a man falling through a hole in a cruise ship waterslide authentic? No, that's not true: The video of a real ABC news report of the Icon of the Seas waterslide accident was edited to add a digitally-created fake clip at the beginning. The original video only shows water flowing from a hole after the man…

Does a video marked "Real Footage" show a bloody attack by a dolphin on a marine park trainer named Jessica Radcliffe? No, that's not true: The video caption and title both say the footage is real, but the account that published it describes its content as "Realistic AI visuals | Viral edits". Several glitches in the scene, such as people…

Did a California aquarium collapse, killing 50 people, as was claimed in a viral Instagram reel? No, that's not true: A disaster of that magnitude and novelty would have been a worldwide news story and there is no record of such an event in news publications in or out of California. The Instagram account that posted the video consists of…

Did a widely-shared video show authentic footage of a news report describing missing couple Mark and Jennifer Patterson being rescued after having been lost at sea for 25 years? No, that's not true: The clip in question was the product of AI. The account that posted the video is self-described AI and included the words "ai satire news" in the…

Is a video of Minneapolis mayor candidate Omar Fateh saying "Look at me, I am the mayor now" authentic? No, that's not true: Fake audio was added to a clip from a real video of Fateh speaking to a state Senate hearing in 2022 in which he never spoke those words. The voice and accent in the fake audio do…

Did The Simpsons predict that U.S. President Donald Trump would suffer a heart attack in the first week of August, 2025? No, that's not true: The Simpsons never aired an episode with this storyline. Several videos on social media show fake, AI-generated scenes resembling the style of the animated show, but this fictional prediction was never broadcast as part of…

Does an authentic video capture actress Sydney Sweeney breaking her silence about the controversy over her American Eagle "good jeans" ad? No, that's not true: The video contains a last-frame disclaimer that it is "Unreal." The video was first posted to an X account that routinely releases deepfake/AI-generated videos that show prominent people commenting on current events in shocking or…

Is a "newly leaked" photo of Jeffrey Epstein with his arm around Melania Trump authentic as claimed in a social media post? No, that's not true: The original photo was Epstein holding his girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, but the image was reversed and Trump's head was digitally added to replace Maxwell's. The photo of Epstein and Maxwell was released by the…