Interview with Environmental Activist Spreads on Social Media
AFP: "Not a Real Video, but an AI-Generated Composite Image"
"Even at this very moment, innocent lovebugs are being massacred. I hope we can become a society that stops the massacre and coexists..."
Recently, an interview with an animal rights activist pleading to stop the lovebug massacre has been spreading rapidly on social media, sparking controversy. Internet users have criticized the activist, leaving comments such as, "If you want to coexist, take them home and raise them," and "You go ahead and love bugs all you want." However, it was confirmed that the photo in question was not real, but a fake image generated by artificial intelligence (AI).
Recently, an interview with an animal rights activist pleading to stop the lovebug massacre has sparked controversy on social media, and it has been confirmed that this photo was fabricated using artificial intelligence (AI). X
On July 9, a photo of an environmental group interview criticizing the extermination of lovebugs spread quickly across social media. In the photo, an animal rights activist named Ko Kiyeong is seen holding a sign that reads "Lovebug Rights Committee" and saying, "Even at this very moment, innocent lovebugs are being massacred. I hope we can become a society that stops the massacre and coexists..." while shedding tears. However, in another photo that followed, the same person is shown swearing, exclaiming, "Ah, damn! It's on my face! Get the hell off!" as lovebugs cling to their face and body.
Internet users who saw the photo seemed to believe it was an actual news interview, posting mocking and critical comments such as, "If you want to coexist with lovebugs, take them home and raise them," "You go ahead and love bugs all you want," "Unbelievable. A lovebug massacre? I guess we'll have a gnat protection law soon," "Cockroaches are 'life' too, show some respect," "Look at the hypocrisy?crying one moment, cursing when they stick to you. This is the double standard of environmental activists," "Contradictory," and "I 'massacred' mosquitoes yesterday; I guess I'll 'coexist' starting tomorrow."
Recently, an interview with an animal rights activist pleading to stop the lovebug massacre has sparked controversy on social media, and it has been confirmed that this photo was fabricated using artificial intelligence (AI). X
However, the photo in question was not real, but a fake image generated by artificial intelligence (AI). On July 8 (local time), AFP reported, "According to a Google reverse image search, the photo is a composite image created by artificial intelligence (AI), not a real person." According to the outlet, the image was first posted on July 2 on the Instagram account of an online satire content creator who goes by the name "Lil Doji." The post clearly included the caption, "This is an AI-generated image based on a true story," but it spread online as if it were an actual interview.
AFP pointed out, "There are awkward elements in the photo, such as more than five fingers on a hand and an extra strange strap on the microphone. Although AI technology is advancing rapidly, such visual distortions are still commonly found," adding, "For now, spotting these flaws is the most reliable way to identify manipulated images."
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