Fact Check: Viral image showing necessities supplied via drone is AI generated
The state of Andhra Pradesh witnessed ferocious floods submerging many places including several parts of the capital city of Vijayawada. Due to incessant rains and a significant inflow from upstream areas, water bodies in Andhra Pradesh began overflowing. The state government led by Chief Minister Chandra Babu Naidu is trying to use drones to supply necessary items to the persons stranded in the flood-hit areas.
Drone
The state of Andhra Pradesh witnessed ferocious floods submerging many places including several parts of the capital city of Vijayawada. Due to incessant rains and a significant inflow from upstream areas, water bodies in Andhra Pradesh began overflowing. The state government led by Chief Minister Chandra Babu Naidu is trying to use drones to supply necessary items to the persons stranded in the flood-hit areas.
Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan lauded the dedication with which Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has been leading the flood relief measures in Vijayawada city for nearly a week. He shared the images with the media and also took to social media to share the images of the rescue operations being carried out in the state.
Meanwhile, an image of an elderly woman submerged in flood water, taking the supplies sent via drone is in circulation on social media with the claim that it is one of the images of the rescue operations going on in the flood-hit area.
The caption shared goes ‘Here’s how technology can come in handy during crisis. Now drones delivering relief materials to those stranded in floods #VijayawadaFloods’
Another X user shared the viral image with the caption “When harnessed for the greater good, technology can do wonders for humanity. In a first-of-its-kind move under the leadership of Hon'ble Chief Minister @ncbn Garu, the GoAP has deployed drones to deliver lifesaving supplies across flood-hit areas of Andhra Pradesh. These drones can reach areas inaccessible by boats or helicopters, revolutionizing disaster response and making aid more accessible than ever before.
The image was also shared by the Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, and later the images were changed.
Here is the video that shows Pawan Kalyan showing the viral image as the efforts of the state Government to provide daily necessities to the people stranded in the flood-affected regions using drones.
Fact Check:
The claim is Misleading. The image in circulation is an AI-generated image.
When we observed the image shared by an X user, we found a watermark that stated ‘Imagined with AI’.
Upon further search, we found that the watermark belongs to Meta’s free AI assistant, Meta AI. It was rolled out across its social media platforms – WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger. It can answer questions, and generate high-quality images and animations on our prompt.
When we checked whether the image was AI generated with an AI detection tool named Hive Moderation, the result stated that it was generated using AI.
The viral image has been replaced with other images and videos of the use of drones to assist the flood-affected persons in the state on the X post of Pawan Kalyan, Deputy Chief Minister of AP.
According to the news reports, the state government of AP roped in drones to supply food and water packets to the residents of the flood affected areas in Andhra Pradesh. Officials stated that the food water and medicine and other essentials reached the residents in Aijth Singh Nagar, New and Old Rajarajeshwari Pet, Vambay Colony, Pipul Road, etc. These areas have been submerged in the Budameru for the last three days.
Hence the viral image of an old woman immersed in flood water receiving necessary supplies through a drone is not an original image. It is an AI-generated image. The claim is Misleading.