A fake picture of a large explosion at the US Department of Defense was spread online, causing confusion such as a temporary drop in stock prices.
According to AFP News and Bloomberg News on the 22nd (local time), a photo was circulated on Twitter that day that an explosion occurred inside the Pentagon compound in Arlington County, Virginia, USA.
The photo, first uploaded by a Facebook account associated with a far-right group QAnon, shows black smoke rising from within the Pentagon grounds.
This photo was shared with the Russian state media RT and the financial media Zero Hedge account, which received the official account certification mark “Blue Check”.
The stock market was also affected, with the S&P 500 index declining up to 0.3% and recovering after the photo was circulated.
However, this photo turned out to be a false image created by artificial intelligence (AI).
A Pentagon spokesperson told AFP: “We have confirmed that this (the explosion image) is a false report. The Pentagon was not attacked today,” he said.
Arlington Police, which has jurisdiction around the Pentagon, also wrote on Twitter: “There have been no explosions or accidents in or near the Pentagon Reserve and no immediate threat to the public.”
Nick Waters, a researcher at Bellingcat, a British investigative news outlet, also pointed out on Twitter that the photo was an AI-generated image, and said, “There are no other photos, videos or eyewitnesses related to this.”
When the photo was found to be fake, the Twitter accounts that shared it deleted the post or posted a corrected tweet.
Meanwhile, concerns about disinformation spreading through AI are growing.
Previously, a photo of Pope Francis walking in luxury padding was circulated on social media, causing controversy, but the image turned out to be a false image created by AI.
In addition, fake photos of former US President Donald Trump being arrested by police officers have recently spread online, spreading fake news.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.