Artificial intelligence-generated fake videos went viral on social media after the earthquake struck northern Japan

Fake news, including AI-generated videos, has flooded social media in the wake of the major earthquake that struck northern Japan on December 8. NHK World's Yabuchi Junya explains why people spread misinformation, and what we should do when we see it.

Watch the video 0:08 A fake video was posted on TikTok

This fake video shows a woman reporting a tsunami hitting the beach. It has been viewed more than 20,000 times on TikTok. But the “announcer” and the alleged tsunami are fake. They are made using artificial intelligence. The post was later deleted.

Watch the video 0:33 Misinformation video on YouTube

Some videos also make largely unscientific claims. This incorrectly suggests that solar flares could trigger a massive earthquake. It has been viewed 720,000 times on YouTube.

Fake information posted on X

Fake news is not limited to video. A post claiming there would be an earthquake on December 8 was widely shared on X. Many commenters claimed he predicted the disaster.

But the novel makes unfounded “predictions” about earthquakes almost every day. Any overlap is purely coincidental.

The Japan Meteorological Agency says information indicating a specific time and place of a possible earthquake is likely to be fake.

The government warns against fake news and urges vigilance

The morning after the quake, Chief Cabinet Secretary Kihara Minoru urged the public to be vigilant about unverified information, which he said had been circulating in the wake of past disasters.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Kihara Minoru addresses the media on December 9.

However, two days after the earthquake, Kihara said that the government had specified wrong data on the Internet. “The spread of false information must have zero tolerance, as it may impact social and economic activity and disaster response. We strongly urge people to be extremely careful,” he said.

He called on the public once again to resort to government sources or reliable media sites in the event of a disaster.

How and why does fake news spread after disasters? Yabuchi Junya, NHK World

NHK World's Yabuchi Junya, who is in charge of countermeasures against misinformation and disinformation, explains how and why fake news spreads in the wake of disasters.

He says there are two main reasons why this happens. First, some people seek attention after disasters. During disasters, the public is in desperate need of information. This creates a golden opportunity for those who want to gain followers or responses.

The second reason is money. Some social media sites offer a profit system. In X, for example, the more views a post gets, the more revenue a user can get. This is why some people create fake news, knowing that it will attract a lot of attention.

Some may even resort to outright scams. They pretend to be disaster victims and ask users to send money.

The quality of AI is improving rapidly

Videos created via generative AI are everywhere. This is not a new trend, but has been around for years. We saw them after disasters, like the Myanmar earthquake, but they seemed unreal.

Watch the video 0:15 Fake video of the Myanmar earthquake in March

But since the release of OpenAI's Sora 2 in September, it's become easier to create high-quality AI-powered videos. It is now difficult to distinguish between an AI video and a real video.

How to deal with fake news

Yabuchi says the first thing to do when we encounter fake posts is to remember that these fake posts prey on your emotions. Many people are on edge after a disaster. This makes it easy for disturbing posts to spread online. If you see a post that makes you emotional, stop and take a breath.

Then look at who posted it, and check what kind of things they usually say. Remember, anyone can be fooled by fake news, especially AI-powered videos. If you don't know where the information comes from, don't share it. When in doubt, look at what public institutions and trusted media are saying. This is the best way to defend against fake news.

How and why fake news floods social media after disasters | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News.

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