LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. – A viral video garnering 1.6 million views has made false claims, using organizations and people in the Lake Tahoe area, that toxic waste barrels, human remains, and dumped cars litter the bottom of the lake. Footage from both Lake Tahoe and several other bodies of water, AI-generated images and voices as well as false citations of quotes to organizations and people has led to those organizations taking steps to address this and multiple other videos of that nature.
The video in question, produced by a content farming account called Optic Expedition, sits along others produced in rapid succession: claiming proof of aliens in The Last Supper painting, anti-gravity technology and multiple conspiracies about Hitler.
While it shows real news footage, videos of Lake Tahoe, pictures from the Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC) and even ROV footage from the Tahoe Fund and Restoring the Lake’s Depths dive from last year, it’s intercut with AI-generated footage and images and videos taken out of context. The video description itself even has a disclaimer, as required by YouTube, that the sounds or visuals were significantly edited or digitally generated.
Over the 26-minute video, an AI-generated voice claims that after a drought in 2024, it was discovered that toxic waste barrels and dumped cars related to missing persons or murder cases were found at the bottom of the lake. It also claims that ROV footage related to potential dead bodies at the...
LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. – A viral video garnering 1.6 million views has made false claims, using organizations and people in the Lake Tahoe area, that toxic waste barrels, human remains, and dumped...