This video is not real or the earthquake, it was made by AI

A video circulating online purports to show a building collapsing entirely after the magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck Colombia on August 10, with its epicenter in San José del Palmar, Chocó. However, this footage has been confirmed to be fabricated using artificial intelligence (AI). According to the latest report from the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (Ungrd), 9,215 homes have been destroyed and 140 buildings collapsed due to the quake. The Detector of Lies found no reliable records confirming that the video corresponds to one of the affected buildings beyond social media posts. This serves as an initial indication that the images are not real, given that other affected structures have verified records and detailed coverage in the media. The video contains several clues indicating it was generated with AI. For example, a crane from a fire truck moves through the collapsed building and changes position between frames. At times, people appear out of nowhere or change clothes, debris alters while the camera advances, and cars remain undamaged despite appearing crushed under the building. Before the collapse, parts of the structure are already visible as destroyed, yet remnants of those walls do not appear. An analysis using Hive Moderation, a tool detecting AI-generated content, gave a 99.4% probability that the video of the alleged collapse in Colombia was artificially created. Additionally, SynthID, Google's tool for identifying invisible watermarks in AI-created content, also detected signs that the video was made with this technology. The video was posted by accounts known for sharing unverified "breaking news." On YouTube, some of these accounts even indicate that the content was created with AI. The video also circulated following the double earthquakes of magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 recorded in Venezuela on June 24. At that time, colleagues from La República also verified and concluded the video was false. The Detector of Lies has previously verified other false contents regarding structures affected by the earthquake. These checks can be found here. Another misleading video circulating online shows Taliana Vargas crying, supposedly due to the booing and treatment her husband, Mayor of Cali Alejandro Éder, faced in certain areas of the city while attending to the emergency following the August 10 earthquake. Videos appearing as news suggest that Taliana Vargas broke down in tears because of the booing and mistreatment her husband received in some parts of the city while handling the emergency after the earthquake. One of the videos has over two million views on Instagram alone. However, the video is deceptive. It is neither recent nor related to the earthquake response. Taliana Vargas recorded and published this video on her social media on September 9, 2023, after the then-candidate Alejandro Éder participated in a Youth Forum. The Detector of Lies conducted a search with the keywords "Taliana Vargas crying" and found news articles from reliable media in 2023 featuring the same video currently circulating. These reports state that on September 9, 2023, candidates for the Mayoralty of Cali participated in the closing of the District Youth Forum at the Torre de Cali building. The event ended with shouts and blows, escalating to the point where the location had to be evacuated. Taliana Vargas, Éder’s wife, attended the event with him. After the incident, she posted the video that is now circulating on social media. A search on her X account found the original post. She wrote: "Building a country and Cali from love in difference. No more division and rupture in families, neighborhoods, and cities because we think differently. Aggression does not build and is unacceptable." At the time, Caracol Radio and El Espectador covered the incident. In fact, the Detector of Lies did a verification on what happened and deemed it debatable how the altercation began and who aggressed whom. Therefore, Taliana Vargas' recording has no relation to the August 10 earthquake. During the emergency response, Éder was indeed evacuated from two points in the city on August 11 and 12 after being greeted with boos and having people throw stones and other objects at him. According to the latest report from the National Disaster Risk Management Unit, 273 people died as a result of the August 10 earthquake measuring 7.4 with its epicenter in San José del Palmar, Chocó. Over 3,800 people are injured and 377 are missing. In Cali, the latest report from the City Council counts 96 deaths, 111 missing, 1,401 injured, and 88 rescued people in that city. In another development, a video claiming to show a building collapsing during the earthquake has raised concerns among experts. Meteorologists explained why the devastating earthquake with its epicenter in Chocó felt so strong in Bogotá, Cali, and Medellín. Amid the flood of images, a specific video caught users' attention on X. The clip, posted with the message: "More than a hundred dead in Colombia after the earthquake," shows a building collapsing completely in seconds. Although the origin of the material has not yet been established, it has begun to be flagged on social media as content generated using AI. Given the doubts it raises and the potential impact such images could have during an emergency, SEMANA consulted an expert to verify its authenticity and help prevent the spread of misinformation that could cause fear among the population. Ángel Salazar Velásquez, manager of Engineering for Channels in Latin America at Check Point Software and an AI specialist, analyzed the material in detail and concluded that it was indeed created with AI. He stated, "We can categorically confirm that the audiovisual material in question is not authentic and has been generated using AI tools. In the current landscape of digital threats, the creation and distribution of synthetic content during emergencies represent a severe risk of misinformation." The analysis identified several signals indicating the video is not a real recording but a synthetic montage. One of the main indicators is the physical anomalies and visual errors throughout the images. The structure observed during the supposed collapse exhibits behaviors incompatible with physics. Some elements in the environment, such as vehicles and people, display distorted textures and sudden changes: they appear out of nowhere, deform, or even seem to dissolve. According to the expert, these inconsistencies are characteristic of synthetically generated content and allow identification that the images were not captured by a camera during a real event. The analysis also considered the digital origin of the file. In this case, algorithmic fingerprints associated with artificially generated content were identified, and credentials allowing confirmation that the material corresponded to a naturally captured image with a camera or other device were not found. The circulation of fake images during an emergency can increase confusion and fear among those seeking information about what has occurred. For this reason, it is essential to verify the origin and authenticity of any video before sharing it or presenting it as evidence. In situations like the current one, this type of content circulating on social media should be cross-checked with reports from authorities and official organizations. The recommendation is to avoid amplifying videos whose origin is not confirmed, especially when they might contribute to generating panic or misinformation during the national emergency.