TECHNOLOGY
US stock market falls after fake AI photo of Pentagon ‘explosion’
The S&P 500 index dipped 0.3 per cent on Monday before it emerged that the image was a hoax
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The AI-generated photo that purported to show an explosion near the Pentagon was shared on social media and some news sites
A fake photograph of an explosion near the Pentagon briefly sent the US stock market lower in one of the most high-profile cases of AI-generated disinformation to date.
The image first appeared on Facebook and then spread to Twitter accounts, including the Russian state media network RT.
Other accounts with millions of followers, including the financial news site ZeroHedge, also tweeted the photo, which showed a plume of smoke next to the military headquarters. It was also briefly reported on an Indian television network, Republic TV.
The S&P 500 index dipped 0.3 per cent while the image was circulating on Monday, but regained losses when it emerged it was a hoax.
It was quickly established that there had been no threat to the US defence headquarters
PATRICK SEMANSKY/AP
The incident adds to fears that generative AI tools will lead to the spread
