00:00This Iran war video even fooled Donald Trump.
00:03One of the great ships in the world, the Abraham Lincoln on fire.
00:08They showed it on fire.
00:09I called the general, I said,
00:14General, what's with the Abraham Lincoln?
00:15It looks like it's burning down.
00:17No, it's not burning down.
00:19Not a bullet was ever fired at it, sir.
00:21He's talking about the USS Abraham Lincoln,
00:24the world's largest warship,
00:25a U.S. aircraft carrier deployed to the Middle East in mid-February.
00:30But this viral clip viewed nearly 4 million times.
00:34It's AI generated.
00:36And we'll talk you through how we can tell that.
00:38First, look at the runway.
00:40So this is a verified image of the carrier
00:43with its distinctive runway markings.
00:47Now, compare that to the video.
00:49The lines are completely different at the end of the runway,
00:52and that's a major red flag.
00:54Now, this photo that we used to verify
00:56was actually taken in 2012.
00:58So we matched it to the most recent image
01:01we could find of the ship.
01:03This was taken on the 6th of February, 2026,
01:06so just about a month and a half ago.
01:08The runway markings match the image from 2012
01:11and are still completely different to the AI generated video.
01:15Secondly, listen closely.
01:17The flames forward section looks completely torn open.
01:20Rescue boats are hitting it with water from both sides.
01:23Smoke's climbing fast.
01:24We'll keep our distance up here.
01:26The audio doesn't sound natural.
01:28It sounds quite robotic.
01:30And this, again, is another red flag that this is AI generated.
01:34Now, this particular video was amplified
01:36by an account on X that claims to be part of Iranian press.
01:41Now, we're not going to show you that account
01:42to avoid platforming an account that spreads misinformation.
01:45But the independent did find multiple AI generated videos
01:49posted by that same account.
01:51So who made this video?
01:52Well, that is still unclear.
01:54However, I've been tracking claims being made
01:56that a US vessel has been hit by Iran.
01:59Now, these started circulating in the early days of March.
02:03But there's still no confirmed evidence
02:05that a US vessel has been hit by any attack.
02:09Now, this conflict in the Middle East has proven
02:11just how powerful deepfakes and AI generated synthetic media
02:15has become and why it's more important than ever
02:18to question what you see online,
02:20especially if it's an image or video.
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