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RNZ News
19 hours ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
AI gun video of Nelson councillor Campbell Rollo sparks warning for voters
Nelson City councillor Campbell Rollo says his likeness has been used in an AI-generated video that circulated online last week. Photo: LDR/Max Frethey Nelson City councillor Campbell Rollo has condemned an "AI-generated" video of him that was posted to social media. The video, which featured the first-term councillor shooting a military-style firearm, was uploaded to a Nelson community Facebook page on Friday, but was later taken down. It had been posted by an account called Nelson NZ Video Game Buyer, with a caption: "This is who your [sic] voting for Nelson community! How shameful, encouraging violence!" Rollo said the video was generated by artificial intelligence and was "quite taken back" when he saw the video online. "The video was not real. It was generated by someone using my Facebook picture without my knowledge." A watermark reading " - a generative AI website - appeared in the corner of the video, and the backdrop and clothing being worn by Rollo in the video match his Facebook profile image. "I literally had no idea where it had come from. I quickly went back and kind of scrolled over it; could tell quite quickly it was AI-generated," he said. "I really just think someone was having a wee bit of fun. But yeah, in hindsight, probably a bit too far." He said it was worrying to see that some commenters had wondered if the video was real and urged residents to be "very mindful" of online content, especially as the local election approaches. "If you see something come up of a political figure or someone who's running for council, I would certainly be looking for an authorisation statement or something that's genuine." These Facebook screenshots show the video of Rollo shooting a military-style firearm which he said was AI-generated. Photo: Supplied/Campbell Rollo Nelson Mayor Nick Smith echoed Rollo's concerns. He said it was a good thing the video was "so fake" and that most people would be able to determine the post was made by "somebody being mischievous". "However, it's a real warning, particularly as we go into the local elections, for people to be cautious of false claims being made to besmirch people and to influence how they vote." Smith added that Rollo, the Tāhunanui liaison councillor, was "very effective" in his role. "He's done a great job for Tāhunanui and associating him with gun violence is very unfair." After the video was taken down, Rollo found the outpouring of support from residents and his fellow elected members "super humbling". "The amount of phone calls and messages I had from people just reaching out, making sure I was okay. It's quite cool," he said. "At the end of the day, we are humans that are trying to do the best we can for the community." LDR is a local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
CNET
a day ago
- Entertainment
- CNET
Microsoft Just Dropped a Free AI Video Tool, And It's Wildly Easy to Use
Microsoft has a new, free tool that lets you create AI-generated videos: the Bing Video Creator. If you've ever wanted to turn a quick idea into a video without touching editing software, Microsoft's new AI tool might be your next favorite trick. The company just rolled out Bing Video Creator, a free feature that lets you generate short videos from nothing but a text prompt. No fancy skills or timeline scrubbing required. Just type in your idea and let the AI do the rest. When I gave it a spin, it took less than a minute to churn out a five-second clip of the Bing logo bobbing in a pool alongside a flamingo and donut floatie. It's weird, fun, and kind of impressive, especially for a free tool that lives right inside your browser. If you're curious about what this AI video generator can do (or just want to make a goofy summer-themed clip), here's how it works and what to expect. A frame from the 5-second video Bing Video Creator whipped up. The water rippled gently and the floats bobbed lightly. Bing Video Generator/CNET The feature is only available on the Bing Search mobile app right now but it will be coming to Windows desktops and Copilot Search, according to the company, and is powered by OpenAI's Sora video technology. Bing Video Creator joins other major AI-driven video creation tools, including Sora from ChatGPT, Adobe Firefly, Google Veo, Runway and Meta Movie Gen. You can check out what Google's latest Veo 3 feature can do for those willing to pay for Gemini Ultra. The technology is moving quickly, with more options now available, some free and others for a fee or purchasing them in AI service subscriptions. How to use Bing Video Creator Finding or using the Bing Video Creator isn't instantly intuitive, especially if you're not already using the Bing Search app. In the Bing Search app, I accessed the feature by clicking on the box on the bottom right of the home screen. That brings up lots of apps within the app. Look for Video Creator on the bottom left. There, you can create a still image or video by typing in a text prompt. Using the Fast option, which is the default, should generate the short video in moments. You can also type "Create a video of..." directly in the app's main search bar if you don't want to hunt for the feature. You can download and share the video. When I tried it out, I found the video was not very high quality and was not easy to download directly from the app. Sharing a link to the video creation and viewing it outside the app offers an option to download the full video. Microsoft says it will keep your video creations available for 90 days. Choice of AI video generators Microsoft's entry into AI video making is giving people another free option that seems geared toward casual users. Many who work in AI businesses, such as Matt Psencik, director of security and product design research at Tanium, are following the rollout of these products, led by Sora last year. Psencik says one of them has been most impressive. "Google's launch of Veo 3 for Gemini is a standout," he tells me, "in object permanence, realistic physics and overall visual fidelity. These developments are beginning to erase the line between 'clearly AI-generated' and 'convincingly real.' " The risks, Psencik says, is that realistic video generation could be exploited with deepfakes or used to attempt to hijack someone else's identity. Most of the AI video generators have guardrails or filters on what kind of content users can request to generate, whether it's to avoid copyright issues or to prevent hate speech and propaganda. But, Psencik tells me, that's not stopping AI bots from posting fake videos online that many people can't tell apart from reality. "As AI-generated video becomes nearly indistinguishable from reality, it's only a matter of time before these tools are regularly weaponized to impersonate real people at scale," he says.
CNET
03-06-2025
- Business
- CNET
I Tried Microsoft's New Free AI Video Generator: Here's How to Use It
Microsoft has a new, free tool to let you create AI-generated videos: the Bing Video Creator. When I tried it out just now, typing in a text prompt, in less than a minute the app generated a 5-second video of the Bing logo on an inflatable floating in a pool along with flamingo and donut floaties. There are some limitations -- for starters, the 5-second length. Also, for now, videos are only in a 9:16 vertical format; Microsoft says a 16:9 horizontal format will be available soon. Users have the option of making a "fast" or "standard" video. Fast, which is the default, is almost instantaneous, while Standard can take hours, according to the app. Fast requires the use of Microsoft Rewards points, which can be earned with Bing searches and Microsoft Store purchase, among other ways. This is a frame from the 5-second video that Bing Video Creator whipped up for me. In the video, the water ripped gently and the floats bobbed lightly. Created by Omar Gallaga using Bing Video Generator The feature is currently only on the Bing Search mobile app, but is coming to Windows desktops and Copilot Search, according to the company. It's powered by OpenAI's Sora video technology Bing Video Creator joins other major AI-driven video creation tools, including Sora from OpenAI's ChatGPT, Adobe Firefly, Google Veo, Runway and Meta Movie Gen. You can check out what Google's latest Veo 3 feature can do for those willing to pay for Gemini Ultra. The technology is moving quickly, with more and more options becoming available, some offering free access, others charging a fee or including them in AI-service subscriptions. How to use Bing Video Creator It's not instantly intuitive how to find or use the Video Creator, especially if you're not already using the Bing Search app. In the app, I accessed the feature by clicking on the box on the bottom right of the home screen. That brings up lots of apps within the app; look for "Video Creator" on the bottom left. There, you can create a still image or video by typing in a text prompt. Using the Fast option, which is the default, should generate the short video in moments. You can also type "Create a video of..." directly in the app's main search bar if you don't want to hunt for the feature. You can download and share the video. When I tried it out, I found the video was not very high quality and was not easy to download directly from the app. Sharing a link to the video creation and viewing it outside the app offers an option to download the full video. Microsoft says it will keep your video creations available for 90 days.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The viral emotional support kangaroo is an AI creation
You might've seen those viral images and videos of the emotional support kangaroo in an airport. Hopefully, you at least wondered if the video was AI-generated. Or maybe you were fooled by a quick scroll. We're here to tell that, yes, the viral emotional support kangaroo was indeed AI-generated. Here is the video in question. How do we know it's AI? First, it's probably best to sit back and consider the video's content. A non-domesticated creature is acting as a service animal, calmly holding a boarding pass in its hands and staring at the camera like Jim Halpert from The Office. Brother, that is not real. Second, the original was posted to the Instagram account @InfiniteUnreality, which posts AI-generated and VFX content. That didn't stop the video from being spread all across the internet. Most notably, it was posted by the X account @DramaAlert, where it has racked up 73 million views. The responses online were a mix of people joyfully reposting, wondering what was going on at that airport, and lots of jokes. To be fair, a number of people also pointed out that the video was AI-generated. Community Notes on X eventually noted that it was AI-generated as well. Needless to say, to those who were duped, AI-generated video is getting much better, even if the scenario itself — an emotional support kangaroo — was hard to believe. So, as always in the age of AI, be careful out there for fakes.
