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From Asharq Al-Awsat · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News From a news agency Context piece
  • Viral images of wildlife, such as an orangutan with leopard cubs, are being generated by artificial intelligence.
  • Experts warn that these realistic AI-generated images can endanger animals and people by distorting perceptions and encouraging unsafe interactions.
  • The spread of AI misinformation poses a significant threat to conservation efforts and public understanding of wildlife.

A viral image depicting an orangutan cradling endangered leopard cubs, seemingly captured deep in a Malaysian jungle, has been debunked as fake. This heartwarming, yet fabricated, scene is part of a growing trend of artificial intelligence-generated wildlife imagery that experts warn poses serious risks to both animals and humans.

This misunderstanding can lead people to approach animals too closely or interact with them in unsafe ways

— Jose Guerrero-Casado, a zoology professor at Spain's University of CordobaExplaining the dangers of AI-generated wildlife images.

AFP fact-checkers have identified numerous similar synthetic visuals circulating online, including an elephant climbing a tree to escape floods and a pink dolphin leaping from Philippine waters. These images, often accompanied by touching anecdotes, spread rapidly across social media platforms in various languages. While they may appear harmless, experts caution that hyper-realistic depictions of wild animals behaving like pets or humans can dangerously skew public perceptions of wildlife.

"This misunderstanding can lead people to approach animals too closely or interact with them in unsafe ways," explained Jose Guerrero-Casado, a zoology professor at Spain's University of Cordoba. He cited an incident in China where a woman was attacked by a snow leopard after attempting to get closer for a photograph, prompting authorities to increase patrols and issue warnings about maintaining safe distances.

the negative impacts outweigh that completely

— Jenny Roberts of conservation group WWFCommenting on the balance between potential positive and negative impacts of AI wildlife images.

Conservationists are concerned that AI visuals portraying wild animals as cute or cuddly exacerbate the difficulty for social media users to distinguish reality from fiction. This can fuel exploitation, increasing demand for certain species to be used as tourist photo props, for social media content, or even as pets. Chris Lewis, a researcher at the Born Free wildlife charity, noted that while such images might inspire some support for animal protection, the negative impacts are far greater. Jenny Roberts of WWF added that fake content online "desensitizes" people, making them question even genuine, remarkable footage, such as a rare tiger sighting with cubs in China, which was met with skepticism online regarding its authenticity.

When you do have something remarkable, people question it

— Jenny Roberts of conservation group WWFDescribing how AI skepticism affects the reception of real wildlife footage.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Asharq Al-Awsat. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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