NCITE warns of spotting AI images online after severe storms

Source Domain: www.ketv.com

WE’VE SEEN IT. NEBRASKA AND SOUTHWEST IOWA HAVE BEEN NO STRANGER TO SEVERE WEATHER THIS SPRING. DURING EVERY WEATHER EVENT, HUNDREDS HEAD TO SOCIAL MEDIA TO SEE PHOTOS LIKE THIS. BUT AS THE NATIONAL COUNTERTERRORISM, INNOVATION, TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION CENTER WARNS, PHOTOS LIKE THIS AREN’T REAL. KETV NEWSWATCH SEVEN’S BETH CARLSON HAS MORE ON HOW TO KNOW IF THE PHOTO YOU’RE LOOKING AT IS ACTUALLY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. BETH. BILL. THAT’S RIGHT. IN THE PHOTO BEHIND ME WAS SHARED DURING LAST MONTH’S SEVERE STORMS. IT WAS IN THE BUENA VISTA COUNTY AREA, AND THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE THERE QUICKLY POSTED THAT THE PHOTO WAS MADE WITH AI. INSIGHT SAYS IT’S ONE OF SEVERAL PHOTOS SHARED DURING SEVERE STORMS THAT COULD BE A CONCERN FOR PUBLIC SAFETY. A FEW CLICKS CREATE AN IMAGE OF A TORNADO IN A STORM STARTS TO BREW. THIS IS THE IMAGE THAT I GOT. INSIGHT GRADUATE RESEARCHER VIOLET FLORES WORKS WITH ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE EVERY DAY. I SAW A LOT OF FAKE IMAGES ON INSTAGRAM, ON FACEBOOK. AND SO I WANTED TO SEE HOW EASY IT WAS TO DO. SHE PULLED UP SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES FULL OF AI IMAGES OF WEATHER. PART OF INSIGHT’S JOB, MAKING SURE THE RESOURCE ISN’T MISUSED. IT’S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT INDIVIDUALS ARE ABLE TO DISCERN IN IMAGERY AND VIDEOS AND OTHER KINDS OF CONTENT, LIKE DURING SEVERE STORMS, REALLY THINK THROUGH AND BE LIKE, WHAT AM I ACTUALLY SEEING? LIKE, IF IT’S SOMETHING THAT ALARMING, LIKE, WHAT ARE YOU ACTUALLY LOOKING AT? JUST ASK KETV CHIEF METEOROLOGIST YEARS AGO. WE NEVER REALLY WORRIED ABOUT PEOPLE SUBMITTING A FAKE PHOTOGRAPH, BUT NOW IT’S EASY FOR PEOPLE TO DO. BUT IT REALLY PUTS THE PUBLIC IN AN UNSAFE SITUATION. IT’S MORE THAN JUST CLICKBAIT. THIS CAN FURTHER KIND OF ADVANCE, YOU KNOW, FALSE NARRATIVES, WHICH CAN SOMETIMES BE DANGEROUS OR CAN SOMETIMES LEAD TO DEPLOYMENT OF RESOURCES IN A WAY THAT WOULDN’T OTHERWISE HAPPEN. JOHNSON AT INSIGHT SAYS IT’S ESSENTIAL THE PUBLIC KNOWS THE DIFFERENCE. TRUST YOUR GUT….

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