Posts use AI video to exaggerate severity of Malaysia parking lot landslide
- Published on October 28, 2025 at 10:10
- 2 min read
- By Najmi Mamat, AFP Malaysia
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After a mudslide damaged about a dozen parked vehicles near a hillside in Malaysia's northern Penang state on October 24, a dramatic video circulated in social media posts falsely claiming it showed the incident. While it resembles the area where the landslide occurred, the video differs from footage used in news reports and contains a visual anomaly consistent with AI-generated content.
"Landslide incident in Penang's Paya Terubong," reads a Malay-language Facebook post shared on October 24, 2025.
The clip, which has been viewed more than 500,000 times, appears to show a slope collapsing as muddy water rushes through dense vegetation and crashes over several parked cars.
It surfaced after 12 vehicles in the parking area of a residential complex in Paya Terubong were damaged by a landslide on the afternoon of October 24.
State news agency Bernama quoted the director of Penang's Fire and Rescue Department as saying the incident, which happened during heavy rain in the area, did not result in any injuries or loss of life (archived link).
The video was shared elsewhere in similar posts on TikTok.
"Someone is buried," read a comment on one of the posts.
Another said: "Can see someone in front of the white car."
While the footage resembles where the landslide occurred, it contains a visual anomaly indicative of AI-generated content and diverges from news reports about the mudslide (archived link).
Moreover, Zairil Khir Johari, a state executive councillor and chairman of the Penang Infrastructure, Transport and Digital Committee, said in a Facebook post on October 24 that the video was generated using AI (archived link).
"This is an AI-generated video that is being circulated on WhatsApp in relation to the flood and landslide incident in Paya Terubong. We hope those responsible will act more responsibly, especially during times like this," he said.
A closer analysis of the footage shows it contains a visual inconsistency characteristic of content generated with AI tools.
A distorted human figure seen in the middle of the frame suddenly collapses and disappears from view -- contradicting reports that there were no injuries or missing persons.
Despite the meteoric advancements in generative AI, visual inconsistencies such as this are telltale signs of inauthentic visuals.
The falsely shared video also differs from footage posted on the official YouTube channel of Malaysian newspaper The Star showing the aftermath of the landslide (archived link).
"Initial assessments indicated a moderate-scale landslide that did not endanger residents or nearby structures," according to the video's voiceover.
AFP has previously debunked other falsely presented AI-generated images and videos.
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