WHAT WAS CLAIMED
A video shows geckos being ground up to make instant noodles.
OUR VERDICT
False. The video is AI generated.
AAP FACTCHECK - A viral video claiming to show instant noodles being made from ground-up geckos is AI generated.
The video contains a digital watermark indicating it was created or edited using Google's artificial intelligence (AI) tools.
The clip was shared by a Fiji-based Facebook account and has attracted more than 180,000 views.
It appears to show geckos being fed through a series of machines on a factory conveyor line, where they are dried, ground up and processed into instant noodles.
"A strange creature resembling a gecko has reportedly been found, seemingly made into noodles," the post reads.
"Everyone is urged to remain alert and take every necessary precaution."
The video appears to have originated on Instagram, where it has gained more than five million views.
It was posted by an account that exclusively posts AI videos and was originally labelled as "AI content".
The footage contains a SynthID watermark, indicating it was created or edited using AI tools.
It also contains several visual errors commonly associated with AI-generated content, such as the lizard's unusual skin texture, and body parts that disappear or change unexpectedly as they move along the conveyor.
At the 20-second mark, a factory worker loads the geckos into an oven and the door appears to close on its own.
At the 25-second mark, control panels and digital displays on the factory machinery contain nonsensical symbols instead of readable text.
Near the end of the clip, the supposed finished product appears in packaging resembling Indomie mi goreng instant noodles (timestamp one minute and 30 seconds).
However, the lettering on the packets is distorted and illegible, another common issue with AI-generated imagery.
There is also no credible evidence that geckos are used to manufacture instant noodles.
According to the ingredients for Indomie noodles, the product is primarily made from wheat flour, with no geckos nor other reptiles listed.
Indomie's Australian website also states that products sold in Australia and labelled as "export products" do not contain meat or meat derivatives, except mi goreng spicy beef ribs flavour.
AAP FactCheck is an accredited member of the International Fact-Checking Network. To keep up with our latest fact checks, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, BlueSky, TikTok and YouTube.
