Title: Instagram Post Alleging Fiery Explosion at Rafah Refugee Camp Debunked as AI-Generated Image According to a May 29 Instagram post, a fiery explosion near Rafah refugee camp in southern Gaza was depicted in an image showing smoke rising over tents. However, it has been revealed that the image was generated by artificial intelligence (AI), as confirmed by an expert and an AI-detection tool. The caption of the post included a prayer for help and protection, written in Arabic. It gained over 200, 000 likes within five days. A fire did occur at a temporary refugee camp near Rafah following an Israeli airstrike on May 26, resulting in the deaths of at least 45 people.

However, the image in question is not a real photograph but exhibits characteristics consistent with AI-generated images, explained Walter Scheirer, an engineering professor specializing in visual recognition at Notre Dame. Scheirer pointed out that the image's cartoonish style and lack of photorealism are indicative of generative AI models. Moreover, the image has been edited with text overlays. An AI detection tool from Hive Moderation determined with 99. 9% certainty that the image was AI-generated, likely using the program Midjourney. Comparing the image to real photographs of the camp from various news outlets, including USA TODAY, it is clear that the AI-generated image lacks plausibility. Attempts to seek a comment from the social media user who shared the post were unsuccessful at the time of reporting. It is important to critically assess the authenticity of images circulating on social media in order to avoid misinformation. Sources: - Instagram post: [insert relevant links] - Walter Scheirer, engineering professor from Notre Dame specializing in visual recognition - USA TODAY's fact-checking resources - Hive Moderation's AI detection tool's analysis