CHARLOTTE, N.C. — There are plenty of images of hope and devastation in the aftermath of Helene, but not every picture is real.
First, let’s look at these photos of two dogs sitting on top of a home while Hurricane Helene floodwaters surround them.
The photos might look authentic. In fact, when a rescue group in California shared it, the post alone got more than 2,700 likes and 1,300 shares.
But, turns out, it was actually AI-generated. Here's how we know that.
If you look here at the bottom of the post, the rescue group tagged the Facebook page where the image originated from. A quick deep dive into its Facebook page shows it is known for generating AI photos.
This photo appears to show a man rescuing a dog in a flood. But if we zoom in, the man in the photo appears to have six fingers and three nostrils.
We then took the original image of the dogs on the roof and uploaded them into an AI-generated detection site, and they both came back as 99% likely to be AI-generated.
For those who want to help with Helene victims, WCNC Charlotte has partnered with the American Red Cross to help gather donations to go to efforts that will help people impacted by Helene and with the nonprofit Operation Airdrop to get much-needed supplies to the mountain counties. Here's how you can help people impacted by Helene.
WCNC Charlotte's Verify series is all about trying to make sure the community has the correct information on news that impacts them. WCNC Charlotte outlines concisely what we know and what we don't know. Sometimes the answer can be surprising. Watch previous stories where we verify social media claims in the YouTube playlist below and subscribe to get updated when new videos are uploaded.