Siwei Lyu Flags AI Fakes in Israel-Iran Conflict
Siwei Lyu, SUNY Distinguished Professor and co-director of the Center for Information Integrity, was quoted in Jewish News regarding the spread of AI-generated disinformation amid the Israel-Iran conflict.
AI-generated image falsely claims to show Iranian strike on Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport
Photo: Screenshot via TikTok / Fact-checked by Full Fact
Commenting on a fake image claiming to show a missile strike on Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport, Lyu noted tell-tale signs of synthetic content, including unrealistic visual artifacts such as a missing plane section with intact, perfectly aligned windows. He emphasized that these inconsistencies are strong indicators of AI manipulation, highlighting the growing challenge of identifying fake visuals during crises, where misinformation can easily go viral and mislead the public.
“There were clear artefacts suggesting AI generation,” said Dr Siwei Lyu, professor of digital media forensics at the State University of New York at Buffalo.
“Part of the plane’s side was missing, but the windows were still neatly lined up and undamaged.” These are strong indicators of synthetic content.
