Fake Pentagon Explosion Image Goes Viral, Sparking Concerns About Generative AI

A faux picture of an explosion on the Pentagon briefly went viral and brought on a ten-minute lengthy dip on the markets on Monday, stoking additional discuss that generative AI might trigger issues to society.

The picture, which many observers suspected got here from synthetic intelligence, was unfold by a number of accounts, forcing the Pentagon to remark that there was no such explosion.

“We can verify this was a false report and the Pentagon was not attacked immediately,” a spokesman said.

The Arlington, Virginia fire department also reacted, posting on social media that there was no explosion or incident taking place at or near the Pentagon.

The incident followed other occurrences of fake imagery that also created buzz recently on the internet, including of former US president Donald Trump getting arrested and Pope Francis in a puffer jacket.

The earliest tweet found by AFP sharing the Pentagon image came from a QAnon-promoting account that has previously shared disinformation, though the original source of the image was not known.

Emerging generative AI technologies make it easier for non-specialists to create convincing images in just a few moments, instead of needing the expertise to use programs such as Photoshop.

The shared image caused the markets to be knocked for a few minutes, with the S&P 500 stumbling by 0.29 percent compared to its Friday close before recovering.

“There was a dip likely related to this fake news as the (trading) machines picked up on it, but I would submit that the scope of the decline did not match the seemingly bad nature of the fake news,” mentioned Pat O’Hare of Briefing.com.

(This story has not been edited by News18 workers and is printed from a syndicated information company feed – AFP)