virus image Shared by X It claims to show Gatlinburg, Tennessee, underwater as a result of Hurricane Helen.
📍Yesterday in Gatlinburg, Tennessee pic.twitter.com/dTeKpmF5OX
— Dibstar (@richarddibX) September 29, 2024
Verdict: False
A content detection scan using the website ‘Hive Moderation’ shows that the image was generated by artificial intelligence (AI). Additionally, media forensics and AI experts denied the authenticity of the images in an email to Check Your Fact.
Fact check:
The death toll from Hurricane Helen has reached 227. Associated Press. The Category 4 hurricane that formed on September 26 was “the worst hurricane to hit the continental United States since Katrina in 2005,” the newspaper reported.
The X image, which has been viewed more than 17,000 times at the time of writing, claims to show Gatlinburg, Tennessee, submerged under water as a result of Hurricane Helen. In this image, both the car and the business appear to be submerged in large amounts of water.
That claim is false. We conducted Check Your Fact Content detection scan When scanned using the website Hive Moderation, the scan showed that the image had a “99% chance of containing AI-generated or deepfake content” .
Screenshot captured via Hive moderation
Similarly, “Check Your Fact” did not find the Virus X image referenced in . Recent reliable news About Hurricane Helen. In fact, the opposite is true. October 4th, USA Today It reported that this claim was false and that the image was generated by AI. (Related article: Virus X photo showing girl fleeing flood was generated by AI)
Additionally, Dr. Walter Shirer, a media forensics and AI expert at the University of Notre Dame, denied the authenticity of the image in an email to Check Your Fact.
“This image is very likely the product of a generative AI algorithm. The cartoonish style and many rendering mistakes make it completely unrealistic. The text on the building signs is nonsense, and the vehicle has the correct geometry. It doesn’t have an academic appearance,” Shirer said.
Tennessee was one of several states affected by Hurricane Helen, but the towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge “were largely spared major damage.” knoxville news sentinel.
