Dubai: Have you come across a video of a little polar bear cub stranded on a melting iceberg being rescued by a group of people? The video recently went viral on the internet after being shared on several platforms.
While some gushed over how sweet and kind the gesture was, many eagle-eyed netizens immediately noticed that the video was not real and was made using artificial intelligence or AI.
The video was originally posted by Instagram user, mysticwild1, whose channel is dedicated to making video content using AI.
“Step into a realm where magic merges with tech,” reads the user’s Instagram bio.
While the original AI video on the account did not get many views, other internet users downloaded it, and shared on platforms including Whatsapp, Facebook, and Instagram, claiming the video was real.
One caption on a forwarded Whatsapp message read: “Wild life team, spotting a little polar bear cub stranded on a melting iceberg and drifting dangerously in the icy waters, took risk to rescue that adorable cub....”
Netizens who were not be able to tell that the video was AI, believed it was real and continued sharing it further.
This video by mysticwild fortunately had the user’s name watermarked on the video, which made it easy to fact-check.
The viral video raised concerns on how far AI has come, in creating believable deepfakes.
One user commented, “Why are there so many polar bear AI videos recently?” To which another user replied, “Because they’re cute.”
On the other hand, another user commented asking whether the video was real or generated by AI.
Some people also discussed how easy it is to spread misinformation using the internet.
However, if used correctly, the internet can also help you fact-check everything.
Some simple ways you can fact-check a video, post, or article is to double check the url. It’s quite easy to miss when a url is not authentic, and that is why, before clicking on any url always double check for domain manipulation.
Always check the source of the post. In the case of this video, look for the watermark by the creator placed in the centre of the screen. In other instances, the watermark or source might be mentioned in the caption or comments.
Always make sure to fact-check before blindly believing any piece of information, unless it is shared by a trusted source or website.
