Published on Oct. 28, 2025, 7:59 PM
Officials are urging the public to get news updated from verified sources only.
Images of Hurricane Melissa that were made with artificial intelligence (AI) software are inundating social media, overshadowing crucial storm reporting and safety information as the Category 5 storm threatens Jamaica with heavy rainfall and intense winds. This misinformation makes it difficult for the public to distinguish reliable updates, increasing confusion and jeopardizing safety during the storm.
Many of the videos are clearly watermarked with the Sora logo — OpenAI’s video generator tool, which went live on September 30.
Tiktok has removed at least two dozen fake videos so far, many of them depicting floods, destruction, and violent winds that are not consistent with on-the-ground, verifiable reports.
Other problematic AI-generated videos include supposed footage of people swimming and playing in the streets as a storm approaches, downplaying the storm’s significance. Many videos and images that have not been unpublished are now marked with community notes and labels referring to the AI sources.
Hard to tell real from fake
Some fake videos, like this aerial view said to be of Melissa, have been convincing enough to be shared again and again, with some users trying to pass it off as authentic:
And the AI phenomenon appears to have left people questioning the validity of REAL videos like this one from the US Air Force’s ‘Hurricane Hunters.’ :