AI-generated images of stranded elephants circulate in Myanmar after Typhoon Yagi
- Published on September 25, 2024 at 05:03
- Updated on September 25, 2024 at 11:12
- 4 min read
- By AFP Thailand, AFP Sri Lanka
Copyright © AFP 2017-2024. Any commercial use of this content requires a subscription. Click here to find out more.
"An elephant got stuck in a tree even after waters receded in Taungoo," read a Burmese-language Facebook post uploaded on September 19, 2024.
The images began circulating on Burmese social media after water from the Sittaung River spilled over and submerged 30 villages in Taungoo township, in Myanmar's Bago Region, forcing hundreds of residents to flee in September 2024 (archived link).
Typhoon Yagi battered Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos and Thailand triggering floods and landslides that have killed hundreds of people across the region, according to official figures (archived link).
In Myanmar, the death toll had climbed to 419 as of September 24, 2024, according to the junta, AFP reported.
The images were shared alongside false claims on Facebook here, here, here, here, here and here.
However, the images were originally published in Facebook groups dedicated to sharing AI-generated content.
Facebook groups
Reverse image searches on Google found the first photo published in a group called "Lightroom Editing".
The group -- with more than 297,000 members -- was created by photo-editing enthusiasts in Sri Lanka.
One of the group's administrators, Janaka Senevirathne, uploaded the photo on March 25, 2024 (archived link).
Senevirathne, who regularly uploads AI-generated content and describes himself as a digital creator, confirmed to AFP that he created the image using AI technology.
Another reverse image search on Google led to the second photo uploaded by Tatarat Trainarong (Earl) in a Thai-based Facebook group dedicated to AI content on March 23, 2024 (archived link).
"CCTV News has brought you some weird images caught on camera – from a dog who lost its temper because the monk fed him late to an inexplicable mystery," read the caption in Thai language.
The post's author, Tatarat Trainarong, confirmed with AFP on September 23, 2024 that he used the generative AI program Dall-E 3 to create the images published in the post.
Signs of manipulation
Furthermore, visual clues in the images indicate that the images were created with AI.
In the first photo, the jeep's windscreen and number plate were blurred, and the "Yala National Park" watermark at the bottom-right corner is misspelt.
In the second photo, the vehicle's light source was not aligned with the headlights while the elephant did not appear in a natural balancing posture on the tree.
In addition, in the bottom-right corner of the photo, there was a watermark with the creator's name, Tatarat Trainarong.
Below is a screenshot of the AI-generated images, with visual inconsistencies highlighted by AFP:
Fabricated images are best ascertained by identifying visual inconsistencies, according to AFP's guide to spotting AI-generated images.
AFP previously debunked the same image shared in Sri Lanka here.
This article was updated to include relevant metadata tags.September 25, 2024 This article was updated to include relevant metadata tags.
Is there content that you would like AFP to fact-check? Get in touch.
Contact us
