Japan: As bear attacks surge, AI videos spark more fear
What's the story
Japan is witnessing a spate of bear attacks, with 13 fatalities reported this year alone. The alarming trend has been exacerbated by the emergence of AI-generated videos depicting close encounters with these animals. These clips range from schoolgirls fighting off bears to people feeding them, some so realistic that viewers can't tell if they're real or fake.
Misinformation concerns
'Extremely dangerous'
Experts have warned that these realistic AI-generated videos, often found on platforms like TikTok, could further fuel public anxiety and even put people at risk. Two of the most infamous clips show bears destroying panels at a solar plant and one making off with a pet dog in its jaws. Other fake clips include a newsreader reporting bear sightings in the area and an elderly woman feeding fruit to a bear in a field.
Risk assessment
Risk of misinformation
The sheer volume of these clips could make people believe that Japan is facing an outbreak of bear attacks. There's also a risk that such videos could undermine government messaging on how to deal with a bear encounter, whether in the wild or increasingly in towns and other built-up areas where they search for food.
Video authenticity
Disturbing trend
A search for "bear" and "video" on TikTok by the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper found that about 60% of 100 selected clips were fake, having been produced using OpenAI's video generator. The clips bore a Sora watermark indicating they had been made with the US-based technology. Some posters even clarified their posts weren't real. However, some were so realistic that users could struggle to distinguish between fact and fiction.
Authenticity details
AI-generated 'news reports'
Several AI-generated videos reference real-life locations where bear sightings have been reported. One such "news report" showed a bear being captured after entering a convenience store in Noshiro, Akita prefecture. However, officials were quick to clarify that no such incident had occurred. Another AI-generated video showed people running away from a bear on the streets of Ishikawa prefecture, prompting an official denial and urging residents to ignore unverified information.
Feeding risks
Feeding bears fatal
Experts have warned against the dangers of people feeding bears, despite repeated warnings not to carry food while hiking in the woods. Shinsuke Koike, a professor at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, told Yomiuri that "feeding a bear is extremely dangerous and could result in them no longer fearing humans." The number of fake videos has surged in recent weeks as users try to capitalize on public interest amid media reports of sightings and attacks.