Fact Check: AI-Generated Images Misrepresented as Bangladesh Flood Scenes
Claim :
Images from the recent Bangladesh floodsFact :
Viral photos are AI-generated and not real
The death toll from the floods in Bangladesh rose to 71, with millions of people still stranded in devastated areas. Concerns are growing about potential outbreaks of waterborne diseases as the floodwaters begin to recede. Triggered by relentless monsoon rains and runoff from upstream waterways, the floods have caused widespread destruction over the past two weeks, affecting approximately five million people. More than 580,000 families remain marooned in 11 flood-hit districts, urgently needing food, clean water, medicine, and dry clothing. Nearly 500 medical teams have been deployed to provide treatment, while the army, air force, navy, and border guard are actively assisting in relief efforts. Authorities are now focused on preventing the spread of waterborne diseases, a common aftermath of such disasters, and ensuring the availability of clean drinking water.
Amid these, several images claiming to depict the Bangladesh floods have gone viral on social media.
Claim 1: A viral photo depicts a pregnant woman standing in floodwaters, with what appears to be dead bodies floating in the background. The image suggests that the flood has added to her suffering, compounding the burdens of pregnancy.
Social media users shared this photo with the caption: "A heartbreaking scene from the floods in Bangladesh: a pregnant woman in waist-deep water, surrounded by tragedy. This stark image captures the immense suffering and loss in the region. Bangladesh urgently needs aid and effective disaster management. We must act now."
Claim 2: In another viral photo, a father is seen holding his baby after rescuing him from the floodwaters, while the young man himself remains trapped in the water. The image powerfully conveys the struggle against both disease and the flood's devastation, as captured in the father's expression.
Social media users claim that this photo was taken during the recent floods in Bangladesh.
Claim 3: In another photo, a small baby is seen gazing out from the floodwaters. Though unable to speak, his eyes seem to plead for help.
Users have shared this and other photos, claiming they depict scenes from the recent floods in Bangladesh.
Fact Check: All these viral photos were not captured on camera but generated by AI
Claim 1: The photo was analyzed using the tool "Is It AI," which determined that rest of the 58% of the image was generated by AI. However, when tested with Hive Moderation, it was reported that 19% of the image was generated by AI.
Claim 2: It has been reported that 99.8% of it was created by AI after testing in Hive Moderation. In which the report of .99 AI, .92 USD has been published.
Similarly, the photo was analyzed using "Is It AI," which found that 84% of the image was created by humans. The report also indicated that the image was often generated by Midjourney and either edited or created using Stable Diffusion (SW).
Claim 3: The photo was tested by "Is It AI" and the report suggests that the image was most likely created by Midjourney and either edited or produced using Stable Diffusion (SW).
Additionally, Hive Moderation reported that 91.4% of the image was generated by AI, with specific contributions of 0.91 from AI, 0.61 from Midjourney, and 0.25 from Stable Diffusion, according to the analysis.
Hence, we found the claims are false. As per our investigation we found that, these viral images have no connection to the Bangladesh floods and were not captured by a camera; they were all generated by AI.
