The FIFA World Cup has been hit by a massive wave of fake news and AI-generated footage. Social media platforms have been flooded with fabricated images and videos, which the platforms are still struggling to effectively counter. Among the most outrageous fakes were a fictional Iranian player and even footage showing Hitler in the stands.
Particular attention was drawn to images of Kylian Mbappé following France’s match against Sweden. In the photos, the French captain appeared to have alarming pustules on his chin. Posts questioning the striker’s mysterious illness quickly went viral on X, amassing an astonishing 24 million views, despite the images being entirely manipulated by neural networks.
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