Another AI Lie

Real or AI? · Latest checks · Checked 3 October 2026

People flee as a volcano erupts behind them: real or AI?

Short answer: this was made with AI. The evidence is set out below.

AI

Posted on X by @Tony_Crosz · Shown as an embedded post · Source

The answer: made by AI

The clip shows frightened people running as a volcano erupts close behind them, throwing ash and rock into the sky. It spread on Facebook, TikTok and X in early September 2026 as footage of the Anak Krakatau eruption in Indonesia. NDTV Profit and The Times of India used it in their coverage on 9 September. The volcano really had erupted that week, but this clip did not show it. BOOM, an Indian fact-checking organisation, searched for the source of the footage and found no credible origin, and noticed people vanishing between frames. Fact Crescendo reported that the clip had been traced to a TikTok post from November 2025, months before the eruption. It also pointed out that the nearest settlement is more than 16 kilometres from the volcano, so a crowd that close is not believable. Even clips used by news outlets can be wrong, so check whether the place matches the story.

The tells

Watch the people closely. A person in a grey T-shirt who is filming the eruption vanishes before the pickup truck moves. A person in a black T-shirt loses their head while running. One runner's face turns stark white and some feet disappear mid-stride.

How we know

We only use a picture in the game when its origin is proven. Read how we check.

How to check something like this yourself

  1. Find the first upload. Take a screenshot of a clear frame and run it through a reverse image search, or search a few words describing the clip with the name of the platform. Look for the earliest copy and read its caption.
  2. Pause it, again and again. AI video tends to go wrong between frames: objects change shape, people merge, writing swims.
  3. Check the length and the sound. Very short clips with stock-sounding audio, or no natural sound at all, deserve a closer look.
  4. Look for a fact-check. Search the main claim with the words “fact check”. Anything widely shared has usually been looked at.

Full guide: How to spot an AI video.

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