DeepfakeMedium
Purportedly AI-Generated Images Reportedly Spread Misinformation During Hurricane Helene Response
- Occurred
- Sep 24, 2024
- Published
- Oct 18, 2024
- Source
- AI Incident Database
Summary
During Hurricane Helene (September 24-29, 2024), purportedly AI-generated images circulated on social media, reportedly misleading the public and hindering disaster response efforts. Reportedly fake images including animals stranded on rooftops and political figures in floodwaters added confusion and disrupted emergency management. The spread of these images allegedly exacerbated existing challenges, including power outages and communication failures, all of which led to complications providing accurate information to those in need.
Developers
- Deepfake technology developers
- Synthetic image generation technology developers
Deployers
- Partisan social media influencers
- Unknown actors
- Malicious actors
- Deepfake creators
Harmed parties
- Hurricane Helene victims
- General public
- Emergency responders
- Communities impacted by Hurricane Helene
Classification
Category confidence: 90%
Severity confidence: 85%
Rationale: AI-generated images spread misinformation during a disaster response, causing confusion but no direct physical harm.
Classifier: Qwen/Qwen3.5-35B-A3B-FP8