An apparently AI-generated image of an explosion at the Pentagon went viral Monday morning, potentially causing a brief drop in the stock market.
The picture was clearly fake, but that didn’t stop Russia’s state-controlled news network, Russia Today, from sharing it with 3 million followers. The network later deleted the post.
Numerous other accounts, many with Twitter’s new pay-to-play blue checkmarks, also shared the image, including a user posing as a Bloomberg News account.
The fake photo first appeared on Twitter shortly after 10 a.m., and the stock market saw a noticeable downturn at that time before quickly rebounding.
The hoax spread far enough that authorities in Arlington, Va., where the Pentagon is physically located, felt the need to debunk the “news.”
The Arlington Fire Department said it was “aware of a social media report circulating online about an explosion near the Pentagon. There is NO explosion or incident taking place at or near the Pentagon reservation, and there is no immediate danger or hazards to the public.”