Generative AI (Generative AI) technology enables amateurs to generate fake photos in a short period of time without using professional software such as Photoshop. A fake photo of the Pentagon explosion quickly went viral on the Internet on the 22nd, and the U.S. stock market collapsed for 10 minutes after hearing the news, triggering discussions from all walks of life about the problems that generative AI may bring to human society. Many observers believe that the suspected artificial intelligence-generated photo was distributed through multiple accounts, forcing the US Department of Defense to come forward to clarify that the Pentagon did not explode.
The spokesperson of the US Department of Defense responded: “We can confirm that this is false news. The Pentagon was not attacked today.” The Arlington Fire Department in Virginia also clarified on social media that there were no incidents near the Pentagon. There were no explosions or accidents. Prior to this, fake photos that have recently caused a sensation on the Internet include the arrest of former US President Trump (Donald Trump) and the Catholic Pope Francis (Pope Francis) wearing a very trendy white long down jacket. .
Agence France-Presse’s investigation pointed out that although the source of the “explosion” photo of the Pentagon is unknown, the earliest tweet that released the photo came from the far-right conspiracy theory group “Anonymous Q” that had previously spread false news and supported Trump. “(QAnon) promotion account. The fake photo triggered panic in the financial market, leading to a brief flash crash in U.S. stocks. The S&P 500 Index fell 0.29% at one point before recovering.
According to CNN, a number of Twitter accounts with the “Blue Tick” credential shared the photo, which fit all the characteristics of an AI-generated image, including one falsely claiming to be associated with Bloomberg News. account number. After the billionaire Elon Musk took over Twitter, users only need to pay to get the “blue tick” certification mark, so the blue tick can no longer be used to prove the user’s real identity.
