AAP FACTCHECK – A viral video supposedly showing flash flooding swamping cars in Australia is a fake clip, seemingly generated from a photo taken in the US.
The clip’s underlying image matches a photo taken before Hurricane Milton made landfall in October 2024, and experts say the video was likely generated by artificial intelligence (AI).
Video on an Instagram post shows a huge wave crashing into a line of traffic on a suburban street, with overlay text reading “GOONDIWINDI, QUEENSLAND” and “MACINTYRE RIVER”.
“First me cotton’s soggy, now me fkn cruiser has an inbuilt water feature,” the caption reads, along with hashtags including #farmingaustralia, #aussieag and #australianagriculture.
A reverse image search reveals the clip matches a photo of cars queuing for petrol at a Costco in the lead-up to Hurricane Milton, published by Florida’s Orlando Sentinel (7 of 23) in October 2024.
The original photo was taken at an outlet at Altamonte Springs on October 7, 2024, about a kilometre west of the Little Wekiva River.
However, the Costco site is an area of minimal flood hazard, according to Federal Emergency Management Agency mapping.
The river didn’t break its banks until after the hurricane made landfall on October 9, which was two days after the photo was taken.
Jeannie Paterson, co-director of the Centre for AI and Digital Ethics at the University of Melbourne, explained the giveaways that the video was created by AI and not genuine.
“The wave doesn’t quite fall naturally given the body of water it [supposedly] springs from, and the cars also bob around in an uncoordinated way,” she told AAP FactCheck.
Professor Paterson also pointed out that the cream-coloured building seen behind the wave at the beginning of the clip disappears after the wave hits.
“It is becoming increasingly difficult to identify fake images online – especially on social media, where we tend to just scan and swipe,” she said.
“It may not matter with trivial things. But in some instances, the disinformation can be significant, for example, manipulating information about natural disasters or the effects of crime or war.”
Prof Paterson said it’s always best for people to check two or more sources.
Computational intelligence expert Niusha Shafiabady told AAP FactCheck that despite the size of the wave in the clip, the cars move very little, which indicates the video is not authentic.
Professor Shafiabady added that AI-manipulated content is spreading fear online, and that users need to be very vigilant about the content they view.
Inconsistencies and mistakes, such as misspelt words on signs or too many fingers on a person’s hand, can indicate that images or videos have been doctored using AI tools, she explained.
The Verdict
False – The claim is inaccurate.
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