Deepfake viral video of Orca attack twists real-life tragedy
The series of TikTok videos — which have racked up more than 87 million views between them — show trainer, Jessica Radcliffe, being brutally attacked by an orca whale that is performing in a pool at Pacific Blue Marine Park.
Many viewers were deceived by the footage, taking to the comments section to share their condolences and comment on the tragedy.
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'Why they don't help and only watch her ?! Why?,' one person asked.
'Rip to Jessica Radcliffe,' another said, echoing the opinion of many others.
However, there is some tell-tale signs the footage isn't real, including the fin of the whale morphing into a human leg in one video, and the other staff members on the side of the pool moving in complete unison. One sign the videos are AI is when fin of the whale morphs into a human leg. Credit: TikTok
There is no record of a whale trainer called Jessica Radcliffe online, no record of Pacific Blue Marine Park, and a story like this would have made national news.
The now-viral video unearths the uncomfortable question of how these videos are allowed to be published on social media.
According to Forbes, the problem can be the viewer because humans are attracted to the sensational. Dawn Brancheau was a SeaWorld Trainer who was killed by an Orca Whale on Febuary 24 in 2010. Credit: Instagram
In a dark twist, the video also seems to have been inspired by the real-life tragedy of Dawn Brancheau; the SeaWorld Trainer who was killed by an orca whale, Tillikum, on February 24 in 2010.
A report from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Commission outlines the details of what happened to Brancheau.
'Ms. Brancheau reclined on a platform located just a few inches below the surface of the water. Tilikum was supposed to mimic her behavior by rolling over onto his back, the report stated.
'Instead, Tilikum grabbed Ms. Brancheau and pulled her off the platform and into the pool. Ms. Brancheau died as a result of Tilikum's actions.'
Like in the fake video, Brancheau was killed by the orca in the pool while the audience watched on in complete horror.
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