Amna Nawaz
@PBSNewsHour·5.3M subscribers·62.2K videos
What to know about AI-generated content spiking amid news events
Posted
January 14, 2026
Views
8,152
Likes
279
Engagement
3.42%
January 14, 2026
8,152
279
3.42%
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4:37Now PlayingQuickly after news dropped of Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro’s capture by U.S. forces in January, misleading AI-generated content began racking up millions of views on social media.
The problem is, many people didn’t realize the content was fake.
“Within minutes of the news breaking, there were already fake images and fake videos circulating online well before the real images of events on the ground happening,” said Hany Farid, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley.
Farid, who is also a chief science officer at GetReal Security, added, “Let's be clear, this is not new. We have seen misinformation and disinformation for decades now around world events. What is new is that we have eliminated any barriers to creating highly compelling images and videos of events because of, of course, AI.”
As technological advancements give anyone the ability to create compelling footage, social media platforms have given those posts a place to rapidly spread, diluting the ability to find trustworthy content.
“What you have to also understand is that it's a double-edged sword," said Farid. "When we litter the online information ecosystem with fake content, when real content emerges of police violence, of human rights violations, of a president saying or doing something illegal, everybody has plausible deniability.”
State-sponsored disinformation campaigns, propaganda, monetization, trolling and innocent experiments all contribute to spike in AI content during breaking news events, Farid said.
Farid emphasized that social media platforms aren't the place to search for news unless it’s posted by credible, verified news accounts. And if something compelling catches your eye online, research its validity through reliable outlets, outside of social media.
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