The AI-generated disinformation dystopia that wasn't
Illustration by Annelise Capossela / Axios
Axios
Amid the craziest news cycle in recent memory, AI-generated deepfakes have yet to become the huge truth catastrophe that experts warned would be coming.
Why it matters: Media outlets and tech platforms have gotten better at spotting and debunking AI misinformation quickly.
Most falsehoods that go viral during breaking news are still created not through doctored media, but through manipulated context, such as the wrong caption describing when a photo was taken.
Case in point: In the wake of the Trump assassination attempt, many mainstream news outlets and wire services, including Reuters, The AP, Politico, BBC and CNN, quickly posted fact checks debunking the validity of a doctored image that appeared to show Secret Service agents smiling while lifting Trump to his feet on stage after the shooting.
Several other fact-checking sites, including Factcheck.org, Verify and Politifact were also able to quickly debunk the photo using very standard fact-checking methods, such as reverse image search results.
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