What happened

Hyper-realistic AI-fabricated footage exploiting a 7.7 magnitude earthquake that killed over 2,700 people in Myanmar showed collapsed bridges, massive craters, and ruined urban areas, and falsely claimed that 17 million people were affected. 

Social media algorithms amplified the content, leading to rapid sharing by journalists and influencers before being verified as fake.

Why it happened

Watermarks indicate the videos were likely created using tools like Runway AI - which often have few guar. Motivations ranged from chasing social media engagement to intentionally sowing fear or undermining trust in authorities15. Limited access to verified information from Myanmar due to military media controls created fertile ground for disinformation