AI-generated image falsely claims to show aftermath of LA wildfires
- Published on February 21, 2025 at 15:04
- 5 min read
- By Oluseyi AWOJULUGBE, AFP Nigeria
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“Los Angeles. The most beautiful picture for today. Fact,” reads the caption of a photo shared on Facebook on January 14, 2025.
The remainder of the caption lists what it claims to be 10 unknown facts about electric car company Tesla.
The post contains two photos with text superimposed on them reading “Before” and “After”.
The first image shows tall buildings, while the second shows what appear to be the same skyscrapers engulfed in flames.
The photos have been shared elsewhere in posts on X, Instagram and TikTok.
The Palisades and Eaton fires in Southern California's Los Angeles County were the most destructive in the history of the second-largest US city, burning more than 37,000 acres (150 square kilometres) and over 10,000 homes, causing damage estimated to cost hundreds of billions of dollars (archived here).
The fires began on January 7, 2025, and were contained after burning for three weeks.
However, the image of burning buildings does not show the aftermath of the Los Angeles wildfires.
AI-generated image
Using the names of the buildings in the first image, such as the TCW Tower, we traced the location to downtown Los Angeles, an area popular for its skyscrapers and iconic landmarks like the Staples Center (now renamed Crypto.com Arena) where the Grammys are held.
While some Los Angeles landmarks were burnt in the wildfires, those in the downtown area were not affected (archived here).
The image that the posts claim shows burning skyscrapers is not real but rather generated using an AI program.
In a previous debunk (in Arabic), AFP Fact Check used a reverse image search and found a video on Instagram where this image came from.
Results led to a post shared by an account that regularly publishes content made with AI software (archived here and here).
In the caption, the account owner included the names of the programs used to design the video -- Midjourney, PS, and Kling. Hashtags like “#AIart” and “#GenerativeArt” were also part of the caption.
After the video circulated as genuine footage, the account owner posted: “I guess an AI video about the LA wildfire is spreading like wildfire. I did not expect this.”
AFP Fact Check has published numerous debunks about AI-generated photos and videos being passed off as real. Read more here.
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