AI-generated video of overflowing river falsely linked to Myanmar floods
"Myawaddy Road, Karen State. Several vehicles were damaged due to the landslide. June 1, 2025, 4:30 pm," reads a Burmese-language Facebook post on June 1, 2025.
The video -- which has racked up more than 3.3 million views -- shows a river raging through a mountain pass highway with vehicles and people stranded along the muddied banks.
The Myawaddy Road is a major trade route connecting Myanmar to neighbouring Thailand, which has often been closed off in the ongoing civil war -- sparked by a military coup that deposed Myanmar's civilian leadership in 2021 (archived links here and here).
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Screenshot of a false Facebook post taken on June 9, 2025
The video circulated after local media reported flooding in northern Myanmar along the Irrawaddy river basin following persistent heavy rainfall in early June (archived link).
It also surfaced elsewhere on Facebook in Burmese posts as well as on TikTok.
However, the video was fabricated using AI.
A reverse image search on Google found an identical TikTok video published on May 28, 2025 with an "AI-generated" label (archived link).
Checks of the same TikTok account showed it has repeatedly shared AI-generated videos of natural disasters (archived links here and here).
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Screenshot comparison of the false Facebook post (L) and the original TikTok video
Joao Tourinho, who runs the TikTok account that posted the video, told AFP on June 10 that he created the video using the Hailuo AI tool, a text-to-video generation software.
"I regret that people use content that is declared to be created by AI to spread false information," he said. "My YouTube channel and TikTok profile show that all of my creations are for those who enjoy apocalyptic entertainment created by AI."
A close inspection of the clip also shows visual inconsistencies typical of AI-generated videos, such as oddly-shaped vehicles, cars merging into one another and a damaged white car suddenly appearing in the scene.
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Visual inconsistencies highlighted by AFP
Although generative AI technology is improving rapidly, visual inconsistencies persist and are the best way to identify fabricated content.
Other AFP debunks of AI-generated imagery can be found here.
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