In recent days we’ve seen a surge of misinformation on social media relating to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
We’ve identified at least 12 miscaptioned videos and seven AI-generated or enhanced images that have had thousands of interactions between them, and we’ve written fact checks on 10 of the most viral posts, as listed below. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg, with fact checkers and verification experts around the world flagging dozens more.
It’s becoming increasingly common to see AI-generated content shared as if it is genuine in the wake of global news events. Even images which appear to be AI but don’t seem very convincing, such as those with visible watermarks (like these pictures supposedly showing US special forces being captured), have been shared at scale. And the sheer volume of this fake content and the ease with which it is generated is concerning.
In recent days we’ve seen a fake image of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei buried in rubble, and AI images supposedly showing the Burj Khalifa and the USS Abraham Lincoln on fire.
In many cases though, the misinformation we’ve seen doesn’t rely on new technology, but on miscaptioned, recycled imagery.
Widely shared posts we saw at the start of this week shared a picture of the home secretary Shabana Mahmood at a Southport mosque in 2024, alongside claims she had observed a minute’s silence for Ayatollah Khamenei in Birmingham. She hadn’t.
Some of the videos we’ve seen are ones we’ve...
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