For now, individuals should verify the source, look out for facial glitches, odd lighting or unnatural audio, and see whether credible news outlets or accounts confirm it, said Assoc Prof Saifuddin.
“If a dramatic video appears only on random social accounts, that’s a red flag,” he added.
NTU’s Prof Tandoc said: “We were all expecting that physical, traditional combat would be complemented by disinformation warfare – we’ve seen that in previous conflicts as well.
“It was just a matter of time.”
While it is still possible to verify the videos or check if they were made with generative AI, the other problem is whether people want to check if they are real, or have the skills and time to do so, he added.
With the volume of messages and images about the conflict online, people may not have the time to verify each video they see, said Prof Tandoc.
In this situation, they just rely on their biases, he added. “If this video supports what I believe in, then I want it to be true, then it must be true.”
