AI-generated video of US journalist praising Pakistan misleads online
- Published on May 26, 2026 at 10:57
- 2 min read
- By Yusra JABEEN, AFP Pakistan
A ceasefire brokered by Pakistan in April 2026 temporarily halted fighting between the United States and Iran, but a clip of CNN journalist Fareed Zakaria hailing Islamabad's strategic importance on air is AI-generated. The US broadcaster has told AFP it did not air the segment, while the video shows signs it was fabricated.
The 56-second X video shared on May 14 appears to show the presenter outlining Pakistan's political importance for the United States and the Middle East during his show on CNN.
"Pakistan's importance is often misunderstood in Washington. It is not merely a South Asian country," he appears to say. "It is a bridge between South Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East and the wider Muslim world."
"At a time when great power competition is intensifying, the United States cannot view Pakistan only through the narrow lens of the past. The world has changed."
Pakistan has emerged as a key intermediary between Iran and the United States in the Middle East war, hosting their only direct negotiations in April (archived link).
But the talks ultimately failed, with Tehran accusing Washington of making "excessive demands".
Islamabad has since intensified diplomatic efforts to broker peace in the Middle East as Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi visited Tehran on May 20 and held talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and other senior officials (archived here and here).
The clip showing Zakaria has appeared in similar posts on X and Facebook. It was also picked up by Pakistani media outlet Dawn News, but it is in fact fabricated.
CNN told AFP in an email on May 15 that the circulating clip "is a fake AI-generated video" and that it did not air the report. Zakaria has also said the video is "fake" on his X account (archived link).
It also shows signs that it was fabricated -- including the person's arched eyebrows throughout the clip and his disappearing forehead wrinkles. He also speaks with unnatural pauses between words.
A search of CNN's official YouTube channel shows videos of Zakaria wearing the same suit against a similar background, but none show him making the remarks heard in the false video (archived here and here).
Unlike genuine CNN video clips of the show, the second line of text in the false clip's lower-third graphics is indented and each letter is capitalised.
Hiya, a voice cloning detection tool in the Verification Plugin, has found the soundtrack has a 97 percent probability of being AI-generated.
AFP has previously debunked misinformation related to the Middle East War.
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