AI-Generated Video Falsely Depicts Anak Krakatau Eruption Amidst Real Volcanic Activity

An AI-generated video falsely purporting to show a dramatic eruption of Indonesia's Mount Anak Krakatau has widely circulated on social media, even as the volcano experienced genuine multiple eruptions in September 2026. Indonesian authorities have dismissed the clip as a "hoax."

The real volcanic activity in September 2026 was significant, spewing lava and plumes of volcanic ash across parts of Indonesia, including Lampung province and Greater Jakarta. This led to the closure of Indonesia's main international airport, Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, and seven other airports, stranding more than 340,000 domestic and international passengers and resulting in hundreds of flight cancellations.

The fabricated video, which first began circulating in November 2025, gained renewed traction with a TikTok post on September 5, 2026. This post included an Indonesian-language caption warning residents in Lampung province to wear masks due to ash movement from Anak Krakatau.

Upon closer examination, the video exhibits several visual inconsistencies characteristic of AI-generated content. These include columns of smoke unnaturally changing colors from red to purple and then orange. Additionally, people in the video appearing to film the scene do not show the eruption on their phone screens. Meta's AI analysis tool also flagged the clip as being made using one of its models.

Both Indonesia's National Disaster Mitigation Agency and the energy ministry's Geological Agency have officially debunked the circulating video. The Geological Agency has also shared authentic footage of the recent eruption, captured by surveillance cameras, on its official X account.

Source: Originally reported by News Wire.

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