An image of an alleged explosion near the Pentagon has gone viral on Twitter. Its spread has not just spurred confusion but has also caused the stock market to temporarily plummet.
Viral Image of Pentagon Explosion
According to MailOnline, numerous Twitter accounts, including national and official news agencies, shared the tweet. The Washington Post adds that a verified account, Bloomberg Feed, was among the sharers. The image revealed black smoke coming from the ground close to a Pentagon-like structure.
As per CNA, two tweets were posted at 10:09 a.m. (local time) on Monday. In a matter of hours, the tweets were able to garner more than 500,000 views.
BREAKING: Explosion near Pentagon pic.twitter.com/q49yTVWhR8 — whalechart (@WhaleChart) May 22, 2023
While a deeper look into the image could reveal its deceptive nature, it appeared quite realistic as it circulated the platform. Because of this, S&P stocks dropped by 10 points within a five-minute span of virality. CNA reports that because of the circulating news, the Pentagon was forced to clarify that no explosion took place. They confirmed that the report was false and that no attacks hit the Pentagon that day. The fire department of Arlington, Virginia, also reacted regarding the matter. They relayed via social media that no explosions or similar incidents happened near the Pentagon.
@PFPAOfficial and the ACFD are aware of a social media report circulating online about an explosion near the Pentagon. There is NO explosion or incident taking place at or near the Pentagon reservation, and there is no immediate danger or hazards to the public. pic.twitter.com/uznY0s7deL
— Arlington Fire & EMS (@ArlingtonVaFD) May 22, 2023
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AI-Generated Hoax
The fake image, identified as AI-generated, reveals how generative AI could potentially cause societal problems, as reported by CNA.
Nick Waters, the justice and accountability leader for Bellingcat, an online investigation group, noted that the image was clearly generated by AI and identified visual anomalies in the shot. These oddities included the fence's appearance and building frontage.
Confident that this picture claiming to show an "explosion near the pentagon" is AI generated.
— Nick Waters (@N_Waters89) May 22, 2023
Check out the frontage of the building, and the way the fence melds into the crowd barriers. There's also no other images, videos or people posting as first hand witnesses. pic.twitter.com/t1YKQabuNL
The circulating image features a white color and showcases a triangular roof structure. Such features do not align with the Pentagon's five facades in color and shape in Google Street View. This was fact-checked by Reuters.
AI Dangers
This comes after the call for better regulations regarding technology amid fears of how it may destroy humans and be a source of misinformation emerged.
CNN notes that, just last week, Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, spoke in front of the Congress to discuss the risks and potential of AI. In fact, he urged lawmakers to have AI regulated so that its boom could be safeguarded.
Altman notes that they think that having federal and regulatory interventions will be vital to the risk mitigation of these models, which are becoming even more powerful and robust.
His appearance follows the viral ChatGPT's success. While the chatbot has been exhibiting remarkable and incredible potential and arguably lies at the forefront of the race over AI, it has sparked concerns regarding the risks that technology poses.
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