"The high-contrast footage was scrutinized for evidence that it had been manipulated by artificial intelligence, and some viewers claimed they found undeniable proof. At one point in the clip, Trump's left pinky finger appears to merge with the others as he clasps his hands on the desk. Conspiracy theorists have seized on this, arguing it showed the president as proof that Trump didn't make the statement at all, or that it was highly doctored."
"Before rushing to dismiss those who are crying foul, it helps to consider the broader context. Such conspiratorial thinking is easier to understand in a world awash with generative AI. When AI image and video generation tools that are capable of producing something not dissimilar to the Trump video are just a Google search away, it becomes easy to question everything."
The assassination of Charlie Kirk in Orem, Utah triggered widespread misinformation and hatred across social media. Viewers scrutinized a White House video of Donald Trump and focused on a visual artifact where his left pinky appeared to merge with adjacent fingers. Conspiracy claims asserted the clip was digitally fabricated or that Trump did not deliver the statement. Technical factors — intentional color tinting, low resolution, and social-media compression — can produce frame collapse and digital artifacts that explain the anomaly. The easy availability of generative AI tools and prior episodes of disbelief in genuine videos have eroded public trust in visual evidence.
Read at Fast Company
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