Video of 'Myanmar earthquake aftermath' bears AI signs
Text overlaid on the clip reads, "Myanmar Earthquake. 17M people Affected. God save all people. Pray"
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Screenshot of AI-generated video taken on March 31, 2025
The clip also swirled across TikTok and YouTube, and spread in countries such as Russia, China, Thailand, South Korea and India.
But it does not show actual scenes of devastation in Myanmar or Thailand.
The TikTok username "@the.360.report
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Screenshot of false posts with the username highlighted by AFP
A review of the account did not find the original video, but many of its videos bear the watermarks for a US-based company on generative AI technology Runway, and video generator platform MINIMAX Hailuo AI (archived here and here).
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Screenshots of videos uploaded on the TikTok account, with the watermarks highlighted by AFP
Shu Hu, head of Purdue University's Machine Learning and Media Forensics Lab in the United States, told AFP on March 30 that he believes the video was AI-generated (archived link).
"The primary indication is that the individuals depicted in the video remain unnaturally stationary, whereas the fire visible in the distance exhibits realistic motion. This inconsistency strongly suggests artificial synthesis or manipulation," he explained.
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Screenshot of the post, with parts showing it was made with AI highlighted by the expert
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