A viral video on Facebook (FB) showed a joyful Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos and Philippine National Police Chief Gen. Rommel Marbil hugging dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo after she was arrested in Indonesia. The photo was manipulated using artificial intelligence (AI).
Published by an FB page on Sept. 8, the 21-second Reel showed the three figures candidly posing in front of a camera. In the clip’s last few seconds, the two officials swooped in to form a hug with Guo in the middle.
Its caption read: “Saya saya naman with group hug pa (This is so happy, it even includes a group hug).”
This video was made using AI. It was generated out of a now-famous photo of Abalos, Marbil and Guo, where the latter smiled and posed with peace signs at a photo op during her arrest.
The Runway watermark that was flashed throughout the video’s run is a huge giveaway that it was AI-generated. Runway is an AI research company based in the United States. Among their products is RunwayML, an app that uses AI to generate videos.
There are two more red flags in the video: three fingers were notably missing from Guo’s left hand, and a dismembered hand suddenly appeared grasping Marbil’s left shoulder.
According to media reports, the original photo was taken in Jakarta, Indonesia after Guo was arrested, earning the ire of people online. While the Abalos and Marbil were indeed smiling with the dismissed mayor, they did not move to hug her.
The video continues to make the rounds online this week as Guo was cited in contempt for the second time in the Senate for refusing to answer senators’ questions on her suspected involvement with Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators.
FB page Ser. Chief (created on Jan. 6, 2016) published the AI-generated video, garnering over 34,000 reactions, 9,300 comments, 7,800 shares and 3.7 million views.
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(Editor's Note: VERA Files has partnered with Facebook to fight the spread of disinformation. Find out more about this partnership and our methodology.)
