A prank involving an artificially generated image of a fire engulfing a Soweto school has prompted the City of Johannesburg’s emergency management services (EMS) department to caution the public. EMS spokespersonKagiso Phashasaid the department had to allocate resources to investigate the authenticity of the report after circulation of the image depicting Orlando West High School on fire. The image was found to be an Al-generated fake.
“EMS can confirm Orlando West High School was not on fire and no fire incident was reported to or recorded by the city’s command and control centre. The incident is regarded as a dangerous and irresponsible prank,” he said. The spreading of false information may have serious consequences, including legal implications, Phasha added. “The creation and sharing of false emergency-related content, including Al-generated images, causes unnecessary panic, spreads misinformation and results in the waste of critical emergency resources intended to respond to genuine life-threatening emergencies.”
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