- A fake image of an explosion near the Pentagon in Washington DC briefly went viral on social media. The US stock markets dipped by around 0.26% due to the fake image but recovered within minutes.
- The image that circulated on social media showing an explosion at the Pentagon was likely generated by artificial intelligence.
- The force tweeted: “There is NO explosion or incident taking place at or near the Pentagon reservation, and there is no immediate danger or hazards to the public.”
- Thousands of Twitter accounts spread the image and included conspiracy accounts and even Russia Today, a state-affiliated media organization in Vladimir Putin’s Russia.
- Earlier this year, Twitter owner Elon Musk was among the signatories to a letter calling for a pause in the development of AI research.
A fake image of an explosion near the Pentagon in Washington DC briefly went viral on social media. The Arlington Police Department clarified that the image was fake and no explosion took place near the Pentagon. However, the US stock markets dipped by around 0.26% due to the fake image but recovered within minutes.
An image that circulated on social media showing an explosion at the Pentagon was likely generated by artificial intelligence. The concerning fake photograph showed black smoke rising outside the key US military building in Washington DC and was seen online earlier today.
Markets dipped by around 0.26 percent as reports of the fakery emerged at 10.06 am local time but recovered some four minutes later. Arlington Police Department confirmed the image was a fake.
The force tweeted: “There is NO explosion or incident taking place at or near the Pentagon reservation, and there is no immediate danger or hazards to the public.” Reports indicated the image showed clear signs it was generated by AI.
Thousands of Twitter accounts spread the image and included conspiracy accounts and even Russia Today, a state-affiliated media organization in Vladimir Putin’s Russia. A journalist tweeted: “Confident that this picture claiming to show an “explosion near the Pentagon” is AI-generated.
He added: “Whenever an event like this takes place, it will affect a large number of people. Even leaving aside that fact this picture is clearly AI-generated, it’s immediately possible to identify this as a fake by geolocation and conducting searches on social media.” Several accounts reported the explosion on Twitter but the image was later revealed as a fake.
Earlier this year, Twitter owner Elon Musk was among the signatories to a letter calling for a pause in the development of AI research. The open letter by the Future of Life Institute said: “AI labs and independent experts should use this pause to jointly develop and implement a set of shared safety protocols for advanced AI design and development that are rigorously audited and overseen by independent outside experts.”
Some experts cited in the letter expressed concerns about its contents and the use of their research to call for a pause. Other tech experts have said a pause, which signatories hope will lead to better regulation of AI use, may lead to bad actors taking advantage of the lack of development.
(With inputs from agencies)
