In a recent incident, a fake image purportedly showing the Pentagon bombing in Washington, D.C. has been circulating on social media platforms, garnering significant attention.
Fake Pentagon bombing image ruptures stock market
As reported by The Insider, investigations have since revealed that the image is, in fact, a fake creation likely generated using artificial intelligence (AI) tools.
Despite its falseness, the image managed to spread rapidly across various social media accounts, triggering a brief dip in the stock market as the false news gained traction.
The dissemination of news regarding the supposed explosion was notably accelerated by the Twitter account “@DeItaone”, which shared the information at 10:06.
Within a span of four minutes, the stock market experienced a temporary decline of 0.26%. However, the market swiftly rebounded as @DeItaone later admitted that the explosion was fake news.
The image, which surfaced on Twitter early Monday, depicted a massive cloud of smoke near a building, accompanied by claims of an explosion near the Pentagon.
The Arlington Police Department swiftly debunked the report, asserting that there was no explosion or incident near the Pentagon reservation, and the public faced no immediate danger or hazards. The department took to Twitter to reassure the public of the situation’s falsehood.
While the exact method used to create the image remains unconfirmed, experts have pointed out several characteristics consistent with AI-generated visuals.
Notably, the columns on the alleged building in the deceptive photo exhibit varying sizes, and the fence seems to blend into the sidewalk at certain points, hinting at the potential involvement of AI tools.
Numerous social media accounts, including the Russian state-media Twitter account RT, which boasts over 3 million followers, shared the image. However, the post has since been deleted. Other accounts associated with conspiracy theories or the war in Ukraine were also found to have spread false information.