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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
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Margaret Sullivan

AI-generated Iran images are widespread. How do we know what to believe?

damaged building in tehran
‘What are responsible news consumers (also known as citizens) to do, especially when they are hungry to understand what’s happening in a high-stakes war?’ Photograph: Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA

The videos look authentic – and they are spreading like wildfire on social media. One, for example, shows Iranian missiles exploding upon the airport in Tel Aviv, Israel. Another shows US soldiers being held at gunpoint by Iranian military.

They aren’t real but – often made with the help of cutting-edge AI – they are wildly misleading. They may get debunked, but somehow that doesn’t make a dent.

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