Debunking AI-generated wall of snow in Kamchatka, Russiapublished at 10:48 GMT
10:48 GMT
Richard Irvine-Brown and Sherie Ryder
BBC Verify
We’ve been seeing dozens of posts on social media claiming to show huge snow drifts in parts of Kamchatka in eastern Russia. But many appear to have been made or manipulated using artificial intelligence (AI).
Looking at recent weather reports, an enormous amount of snow has fallen in the region since 12 January. However, many of the viral clips show characteristic signs of AI-generation.
Several videos and pictures have been shared on X, YouTube and Facebook – and used by some news organisations – without acknowledging they’re fake.
However the video we’ve taken this grab from, which has been viewed more than a million times on TikTok, has been labelled as AI-generated.
The full clip shows a huge drift of snow between apartment blocks collapsing. Strong blue tints can be seen in the snow – which you’d expect to see in footage of icebergs breaking off and falling into the sea.
Listening to the clip the sound of splashing water can also be heard as the snow lands, indicating it has been made with AI.
Other tell-tale signs of AI-generation in the footage include there being no damage to the front of the buildings while no snow appears to be left behind on the balconies.
If you’re ever in doubt, our AI-spotting video covers the signs to look out for:
Media caption,
Look for hidden watermarks in AI videos