Fake AI-generated image of explosion near Pentagon goes viral

A fake representation that appeared to amusement an detonation adjacent the Pentagon concisely went viral connected societal media and near fact-checkers and the section occurrence work scrambling to antagonistic the claim.

It appeared the image, which purported to amusement a ample unreality of achromatic fume adjacent to the US office of the Department of Defence, was created utilizing AI technology.

It was archetypal posted connected Twitter connected Monday greeting and it was rapidly recirculated by verified, but fake, quality accounts.

Department of Defence spokesperson Phillip Ventura told the Reuters quality bureau that the reports of an detonation were "false".

The section occurrence department, Arlington Fire, tweeted: "There is NO detonation oregon incidental taking spot astatine oregon adjacent the Pentagon reservation, and determination is nary contiguous information oregon hazards to the public."

The representation was described arsenic "clearly AI generated" by Nick Waters, an researcher astatine the integer investigations steadfast Bellingcat.

"Check retired the frontage of the building, and the mode the obstruction melds into the assemblage barriers," helium wrote connected Twitter.

He pointed retired determination were nary different photos, video oregon eyewitness accounts of the expected explosion.

However, that did not halt Russian state-backed quality transmission RT tweeting astir "reports of an detonation adjacent the Pentagon".

Fake accounts pretending to beryllium quality outlets with paid-for bluish ticks besides retweeted the image.

The hoax is 1 of respective AI-generated images that person made headlines recently.

A convincing deepfake of the Pope wearing a achromatic Balenciaga puffer overgarment went viral and the victor of the Sony Photograph Awards turned down the prize aft admitting his introduction was created by AI.