You open social media to see a startling satellite image: a military base on fire. But is it real?\u00a0<\/p>\n
The rise of AI has made it easier than ever to generate fakes. Since the Cold War<\/a>, images captured from space have served as a method of verification for media, governments, and the public. Now, technology has placed this once seemingly irrefutable source of truth under threat. <\/p>\n An AI-generated satellite image posted on social media is unlikely to spark a war on its own or dupe the military of a well-resourced country like the U.S.\u2014which can double-check any claims with its own fleet of satellites. But they can nonetheless be potent tools to influence public opinion in ways that undermine our information ecosystem. <\/p>\n There are many cases of deepfake satellites images from just this year. <\/p>\n In June, Ukraine\u2019s Operation Spiderweb<\/a> used drones to strike Russia\u2019s prized long-range bombers. High-resolution photos of the result spread rapidly across social media: multiple destroyed Russian bombers (and a transport plane) lying in scorched ruin. But the daring Ukrainian military attack was also accompanied by fake satellite images<\/a> that suggested a more successful operation than the 10 Russian warplanes that U.S. officials estimate<\/a> were destroyed. <\/p>\n Another case emerged later that month following U.S. and Israeli strikes on facilities linked to Iran\u2019s nuclear program. One fake image<\/a> depicted a crowd gathered around a destroyed Israeli F-35 jet, and another deceptive video falsely claimed<\/a> to be taken from an Iranian missile\u2019s onboard sensors. These images suggested a more potent Iranian military response to devastating strikes<\/a> than what Tehran was actually able to muster. <\/p>\n There were also fakes<\/a> following the four-day India-Pakistan conflict in May. Both Indian and Pakistani users on social media shared fake satellite imagery to suggest their respective countries\u2019 militaries had inflicted more damage than what otherwise transpired. <\/p>\n With more than half the globe using social media, the reach<\/a> of manipulated satellite images can be massive and their impact almost immediate. We have already seen previews of how an individual fake can impact the real world: when an image falsely depicted<\/a> a fire near the Pentagon last year, for example, the stock market dipped<\/a> until local authorities clarified<\/a> it was a hoax. <\/p>\n And while those in the field have warned of the risks for years<\/a>, today\u2019s fakes are growing both more difficult to distinguish from reality and easier to make. <\/p>\n In years past, the models behind simple<\/a> online tools offered a path to create basic AI-generated satellite imagery. But they were limited, and the end products were blurry, zoomed-out photos. To make high-quality fakes today, all you need is free software and the ability to type a prompt that guides your AI of choice. <\/p>\n That is why the fight against fake satellite images should be a society-wide initiative. Governments and media outlets using imagery, alongside commercial providers, should help their audiences become attuned to indicators of deception. <\/p>\n In the media, outlets that rely on satellite images in their coverage should include or link to an explanation of how they verified it, a practice already employed<\/a> by some. Outlining how they match satellite imagery with details from on-the-ground can help bolster reader trust in credible reporting.<\/p>\n For their part, commercial providers should make available, where possible, tools or teams that verify imagery claimed to be sourced from them as genuine or not. Third-party software to detect AI-generated images exists, but it is imperfect and in an arms race against ever-improving models that can churn out hyper-realistic photos.\u00a0<\/p>\n Messages on how malicious actors will use deception can also be included in government literature. The Swedish government\u2019s brochure, \u201cIn Case of Crisis or War<\/a>,\u201d describes how foreign powers may use disinformation in times of conflict, and offers advice on guarding against these efforts. Finland\u2019s government has a guide with more detail<\/a> on influence operations and tools to parse photos and videos you see during times of crisis.\u00a0<\/p>\n Other countries should follow suit. The U.S. Department of Defense\u2019s Emergency Preparedness Guide has a few paragraphs<\/a> on media awareness, but falls short in describing the fakes that adversaries may create. <\/p>\n