How Fake AI Images of Hurricane Milton May Have Real Consequences

AI-generated images and videos of Hurricane Milton may not just be annoying click bait. They could also be related to scams and misinformation campaigns.

In the wake of the Category 3 hurricane that devastated parts of Florida, social media platforms like X, TikTok, and Facebook were inundated with AI-generated content. Some AI-generated images and videos are easier to spot than others, such as those that are obviously meant for laughs. image of a girl hugging an alligator on a boat in the pouring rain.

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Others are more convincing, like the AI-generated images of a flooded Disney World that initially fooled many, even going so far as to be shared by a Russian propaganda outlet.

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The result could simply be the spread of misinformation, which is bad enough, but AI-generated Web garbage is also used to lure people into scams.

Hurricane Milton AI Loss Is Everywhere

By now many have seen the fake images of the Disney World walkways underwater. But a quick scroll on TikTok shows AI-generated footage of Hurricane Milton wreaking havoc.

Some of the videos are tagged as AI-generated videos with hashtags or subtitles, but it's easy to imagine how someone else could share and exploit them. Karen Panetta, an IEEE member and professor of electrical and computer engineering at Tufts University, describes how AI-generated content can be weaponized to incite panic and confusion. “Less than 30 percent of our adult audience understands what AI can do. So if you can spread misinformation to the general population with a scary headline, a lot of people will panic,” Panetta said.

To be clear, the current damage caused by Hurricane Milton is devastatingly current. But when AI-generated content comes into play, users question reality. That, in turn, can create distrust and fertile ground for hurricane conspiracy theories. For example, one X user claimed that images of NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick were fake and even suggested that Dominick was not in space. The images have since been verified as authentic.

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But to add to the confusion, some satellite images claiming to be from Hurricane Milton were debunked by snopes as poorly captioned or AI-generated.

Beware of scams using AI-generated images

Aside from misinformation and misinformation in the wake of Hurricane Milton, experts say to watch out for scams. The Federal Trade Commission issued a news release the day before Milton made landfall warning consumers to be on the lookout for “those seeking to take advantage of natural disasters by engaging in potential fraud or price gouging.”

And according to Panetta, scams like those from fake charities can be made more persuasive through the use of generative AI. “In any disaster something always happens that [scammers] We try to create fundraising websites that are not legitimate,” Panetta said. “What's happening now is that because of the easy access to AI-generated images, they're being used to add credibility and say, 'Look, this isn't just me asking for money.' Look how horrible this is.'”

The viral AI-generated image of the girl holding a puppy and crying after Hurricane Helene is a perfect example of how an image can tug at the heartstrings and evoke the desire to donate, even if it's fake. While more savvy Web users may realize it's fake, others may not know and those people are easy targets for scams.

Some of the AI-generated images of Hurricane Milton may seem like harmless examples of a kid eager to show off his generative AI skills. But that is not always the case. The false sense of innocence could be part of a way to get people to let their guard down. “It's quite a strategy. How can I attract people? And then once I'm convinced that I'm legit, there's a question there,” Panetta said.

“In the end there is always money,” he added.

While natural disasters like Hurricane Milton can make people exceptionally vulnerable, it is even more important to apply critical thinking and think twice before reacting to anything online. The FTC says scams often insist on payment via wire transfer, gift card, payment app, cryptocurrency, or cash, and recommends checking out its resources on how to avoid scams after a climate emergency.