Tottori - A fake video apparently created with generative AI showing a large bear eating piles of sliced bread has spread on social media following a series of illegal bread dumping incidents in Tottori Prefecture, prompting the prefectural government to warn that misinformation could cause economic harm.
Large quantities of sliced bread were found dumped in August along a prefectural road on Mount Daisen, which lies within a national park, and at Hakuto Coast in Tottori City.
Tottori Prefecture has since released the results of its own investigation into the discarded bread.
No toxic substances were detected, while an analysis found that the oils used in the bread discovered at the two locations were different, indicating that the bread came from separate sources.
As attention to the dumping incidents grew, a video began circulating on social media showing a huge bear repeatedly biting into piles of sliced bread placed in front of it.
The footage is believed to have been created using generative AI.
Authorities said there has so far been no confirmed case of a bear eating any of the bread dumped in Tottori Prefecture.
Tottori Governor Shinji Hirai warned that the fake footage could create a false impression of the prefecture and potentially lead to economic damage. "I want to sound the alarm because misleading people and creating an incorrect image of Tottori Prefecture could potentially cause economic harm," Hirai said.
The prefectural government has requested that the video be removed and is urging the public not to spread inaccurate information about the incidents.
Source: FNN
