A viral image of black smoke near a bureaucratic building sparked false claims of an explosion at the Pentagon.
News outlets outside the U.S. quickly reported on the posts, but officials clarified that no blast occurred and the photo was fake.
Experts identify telltale signs of an AI-generated forgery, highlighting the chaos caused by easily accessible and sophisticated programs.
The image spread just after the U.S. stock market opened, briefly impacting the investment world.
The S&P 500 dropped 0.3%, costing $500B as social media and investment websites propagated the false claims.
U.S. Treasury bonds and gold prices briefly rose, indicating investors sought safer options.
The Arlington County Fire Department debunked the rumors on social media, attributing the fake image to generative AI programs flooding the internet with flawed visuals.