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Shocking images leave no one unmoved. But AI can also stage natural disasters – emotional, believable, viral. How real is the moment of shock?
A real landslide in Blatten (Valais), photographed by a Ringier photographer.
AI-manipulated – the Rigi, an iconic Swiss excursion mountain, seemingly collapsing.
AI artist Basil Stücheli shows how a deceptively realistic fake photo is created from the original image from the Ringier archive by Andrea Soltermann – and why this can be dangerous.
The stronger the image, the less it gets questioned.
Fake disaster images can fuel misinformation.
Once fooled by fake images, we may doubt real ones next time.
Too many fake shocks make it harder to take real dangers seriously.
Misinformation spreads on Twitter about six times faster than real news.
(Source: MIT Media Lab, 2018)
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78 % der Schweizer:innen False reports about disasters can delay real rescue operations.
(Source: DHS, 2018)
AI can generate landscapes, smoke, and dust clouds with deceptive realism – in seconds.
(Source: MIT News, 2024)
False reports about disasters can delay real rescue operations.
(Source: MIT News, 2024)
Does the image come from a recognised news agency or a quality media outlet?
Discrepancies in buildings, landscapes, lighting. Look for inconsistencies in buildings, landscapes, lighting.
Are there multiple images or videos of the same event?
Don’t share immediately – verify first.
