"Child Trapped Under Building Debris 'So Pitiful'... Tibetan Photo That Moved Netizens Was Fake"

"Calls for Strict Punishment of AI Images Exploiting Sympathy"

A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck the Tibet Autonomous Region in western China, causing casualties, while controversy has arisen after a photo of a child trapped under earthquake debris was revealed to be fake.

On the 9th, Chinese local media such as Beijing Ribao reported that amid the spreading atmosphere of mourning for the Tibet earthquake victims online, a fake image created by artificial intelligence (AI) was causing misunderstandings.

Earlier, an image of a child wearing a fur hat seemingly trapped under collapsed building debris was shared on social networking services (SNS), drawing many reactions from netizens. Comments on the shared post included "So pitiful," "This one photo makes me cry," and "Please let us know if this child is okay." However, it was identified that the photo was an AI-generated image created last November.

A child under earthquake debris generated by AI. Weibo

Upon closer inspection, the photo shows some awkward details, such as the child having six fingers. However, at a glance, it is difficult to distinguish between the AI image and a real photo. As a result, on China's largest portals Baidu and Weibo, the phrase "The child wearing a hat trapped under earthquake debris was actually an AI image" briefly appeared in the real-time search rankings that day. However, this search term quickly disappeared from the rankings, seemingly due to censorship.

Following the AI controversy, voices emerged online in China calling for strict punishment against AI images that exploit public sympathy during disaster situations. There were also demands that AI-generated images should be clearly labeled as AI to prevent unnecessary misunderstandings.

Lawyer Zhang Xiaoling of Beijing Jingzan Law Firm stated, "If content using AI images receives a large number of comments and causes negative social impact, it can be punished according to the law. However, the failure of online platforms sharing photos to promptly issue warnings that the image is suspected to be AI-generated appears to be a current system loophole."

Meanwhile, on the morning of the 7th, a strong earthquake measuring magnitude 7.1 (according to the US Geological Survey; China announced it as magnitude 6.8) struck the Tibet Autonomous Region, resulting in hundreds of deaths and injuries. This region has historically experienced frequent earthquakes, and the shallow depth of 10 km to the epicenter is cited as a cause of the severe damage. Additionally, local buildings, including traditional houses where residents mainly live, are known to have almost no seismic design.