Fact Check: AI-generated video goes VIRAL as recent Indonesia volcanic eruption

Following a series of volcanic eruptions on Indonesia’s Anak Krakatau island, a video allegedly showing them has gone viral on social media. It shows people running in panic after seeing a massive fountain of lava erupting from a volcano.

An X user shared it with the caption, “A very close-up shot captures the terrifying moment a volcano erupts in Indonesia. Nature at its most destructive.” News outlets like The Times of India and News18 Gujarati also used this footage alongside their reports about the recent volcanic eruption in Anak Krakatau.

India Today Fact Check found that this video is AI-generated.

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Several people responding to such posts pointed out that the location did not look like the volcanic Indonesian island at all. On closer examination, we noticed telltale signs of the video being AI-generated.

The face of one of the men running appears white, and his limbs seem to merge into the background. The legs of some other men also appear to disappear as they run. Their faces also look distorted.

AI detection tools like Hive Moderation and isfake.ai concluded with high confidence that the video was likely synthetic.

The actual video of the Anak Krakatau eruption can be viewed below.

Anak Krakatau lies in the Sunda Strait, which separates Sumatra and Java. Satellite images and photos of this volcanic site can be viewed here. They look completely different from the location seen in the viral video.

According to PBS News, the nearest settlement is more than 16 kilometres from the volcanic island of Anak Krakatau. Indonesian authorities have warned residents and visitors to stay at least three kilometres away from the active crater.

Thus, it’s clear that an AI-generated video is being falsely shared as the actual footage of the recent volcanic eruptions in Indonesia.