Fake Minns, altered images and psyop theories: Bondi attack misinformation shows AI’s power to confuse
Mourners in Sydney pay tribute to the victims of the Bondi beach shooting attack. Photo by David Gray / AFP/Getty Images
The Guardian
Misinformation, turbocharged by AI, was hard to avoid in the hours and days that followed the Bondi beach terror attack last month, as some platforms pushed dubious claims to users trying to find factual information.
The X “for you” page, which serves up content determined by an algorithm, was filled with false details, including: that the attack that left 15 people dead was a psyop or false-flag operation; that those behind the attack were IDF soldiers; that those injured were crisis actors; that an innocent person was one of the alleged attackers; and that the Syrian Muslim hero who fought the attackers was a Christian with an English name.
Generative AI only made matters worse.
An altered clip of the New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, with deepfaked audio making false claims about the attackers, was shared across multiple accounts.
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