AI Alteration Alert: Fake Images Spread Disinformation on DU Hunger Strike
A disinformation campaign is being circulated on social media regarding students staging a hunger strike at the base of the Raju Sculpture at Dhaka University, demanding three points. Claims that the fasting students were secretly consuming apples and juice have been widely shared through various accounts and pages; however, investigations reveal that the images used to support these claims were created or manipulated using artificial intelligence (AI).
Posts making these claims have been circulated here, here, and here.
The misleading posts began spreading after approximately 70 hours had passed since the hunger strike, which started on 8 April. A close analysis of the viral images revealed multiple inconsistencies. In one image claimed to be CCTV footage, the timestamp reads “30 minutes 123301 seconds,” which is entirely unrealistic. Additionally, abnormalities in the physical structure and distorted fingers of individuals in the images clearly indicate AI-generated manipulation.
Verification using Google’s AI detection tool “SynthID” confirmed that the images were created or edited using Google’s AI technology. Some images also visibly contain the Gemini AI logo in the corner, which typically appears as a watermark when images are generated using AI tools. Further verification through the AI content detection tool “Hive Moderation” yielded the same results.
Meanwhile, the image that went viral claiming students were eating apples was actually sourced from a report published by the news outlet “Dhaka Mail.” While the original image showed students observing the hunger strike, apples were later artificially added using AI or digital editing techniques. This manipulation is evident from inconsistencies in lighting, shadows, and spatial positioning within the image.
These visible discrepancies were further confirmed through verification using Google’s SynthID tool, which identified the image as AI-generated or edited. The Hive Moderation tool also produced the same conclusion.
Additionally, in the image circulated with claims of apple consumption, a white Gemini AI logo is visible in the bottom-right corner. Typically, such a watermark appears when images are generated or edited using Google’s AI chatbot. Verification using SynthID confirmed that the image was created or modified using Google’s AI technology.
A reverse image search also found a match with the original image used in a report by the national media outlet Dhaka Mail. This confirms that the viral image had apples artificially added later. Analysis of the positions of other individuals in the image, as well as lighting and shadow inconsistencies, further indicates that it was created using artificial intelligence or digital editing.
DBTech/ AKE/ EK/ OR
