Donald Trump shared a strange and shocking AI-generated video on his Truth Social platform today, which showcases what appears to be a vision of Gaza under his leadership. The US President shared AI-created footage showing the war-torn territory before a caption appears on the screen reading: “Gaza 2025… What’s Next?”
The video shows the destroyed area transformed into a ‘Middle Eastern paradise’ complete with beaches, skyscrapers, yachts and happy partygoers. A child appears in the animation holding a huge, golden balloon of the US President’s head.
Trump is then seen sipping cocktails by the pool with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump’s new buddy Elon Musk is seen throwing money like confetti in this robot-made animated skit.
Sky News reported that the video also featured an eerie pro-Trump theme song, which included the lyrics “Donald’s coming to set you free, bringing the light for all to see, no more tunnels, no more fear: Trump Gaza’s finally here.”
It comes after the US President shared his plans for Gaza’s future, including relocating two million Gazans to neighbouring Arab countries before turning the territory into the “Riviera of the Middle East”. He described Gaza as a “demolition site” where “virtually every building is down”.
The UN previously warned that any forced displacement of civilians from occupied territory is strictly prohibited under international law and “tantamount to ethnic cleansing”.
But as the President’s latest scandal makes headlines, many have been led to wonder about the creation of AI-generated animation. While the ‘plot’ of the video is unbelievable, the animation is much more realistic than the quality of previous AI-made content.
But how far has AI-video come since its humble beginnings? And how can you tell a video is AI-generated?
The rapid advancement of AI-generated animation
A viral TikTok with more than 15million views has illustrated the shocking advancement of AI-generated videos by comparing some early content with more recent animations.
The first videos appear distorted, bizarre, and even uncomfortable, with jolted movements and warped faces. One clip shows Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson eating a ‘real’ rock, but it’s impossible to mistake the character in the video for being the real celebrity, as his face is completely distorted.
But the most recent AI-created content includes more realistic videos of lions and kittens, which are a lot harder to tell are fake. By comparing the early artificially-created videos of The Rock to the most recent clip of Trump in Gaza, an immense and rapid advancement of the quality of AI-generated content can be easily identified.
While the first clips are warped and blurry, the quality of the video featuring Trump and Musk in Gaza is smooth, high-definition and more life-like. But with AI-generated content becoming so advanced, how can you tell a video is fake?
How to tell a video is AI-generated
AI has advanced so far that social media platforms such as TikTok require users to label whether a video uses artificial intelligence, in order to stop fake news and false information spreading on the website. If a video does not feature this warning, you may be able to tell a video is AI by looking at it more closely.
You can tell if a video is AI-generated by looking for inconsistencies in the lighting, shadows, and background, or by checking the audio and video synchronization, and looking for unnatural features.
If any element of the video appears warped, you may be looking at something made by artificial intelligence.
Another tip is to question whether a video is realistic or not in content. For example, in the recent AI video, Trump is seen sipping cocktails poolside with Netanyahu, something that is unlikely to have been legitimately filmed.