For decades Hollywood has asked us to suspend our beliefs and discard reality. From Moses parting the sea to Spiderman swinging from skyscrapers, cinematographers give us another way to look at the world. We know, given the scene and context, it is make-believe and the directors behind the lens have spent millions, hundreds of millions in some cases, to deceive our natural senses.

We readily engage this as movie goers, but what about when we see it in real life, or at least the “real life” we perceive on social media? …or what looks like the News? Who are the people or organizations directing these AI intensive scenes and are we okay with not knowing who and what to believe?

I research AI and misinformation and there is a notable trend. You might have noticed it too. Generative AI, that type of AI that is good at writing your emails and summarizing your internet searches in “AI Mode” is also very, very good at creating images and videos. Some of this is just unbounded creativity, like videos of kittens knitting sweaters, an obvious fabrication. But more often it is injected into real world events and news.

Edge of Believability

This is where misinformation lurks, where it is most effective, at the edge of believability. The type of misinformation that lives in the shadows beyond the streetlights of your neighborhood.

It is near the truth, just not quite there. You have drive-by knowledge of certain events. You are aware of what is going on, just not the details. We are all too busy to be our own investigative reporters. Maybe nobody even knows the details of recent events – the news is still unfolding. But then your neighbor down the street posts a video, sharing with others in your community about what is really happening. Is it really happening?

…results are genuine looking, especially when viewed in haste on a mobile device.

Probably not and they might not even be your real neighbor. AI tools like Google Veo, OpenAI Sora, Seedance, Runway, Pika and others all allow people to create realistic videos either from text prompts or by uploading real pictures and video to modify. It is a method often used to distort the reality of current news events, to garner a reaction that boosts ones’ following, and their pocketbooks. The results are genuine looking, especially when viewed in haste on a mobile device.

Hollywood Impact on a Latte Budget

A big picture screen might show flaws, but the costs are immeasurably different. Scenes from 2001: A Space Odyssey, Jurassic Park, The Matrix, and even 1959’s Ben Hur each cost tens of millions of dollars. Most AI tools now can create movie-like cinematography for the cost of a Starbucks double latte. They do not require experts or skills. No big team of talent or budget. The world of image deception is cheap, nearly free, and available to anyone. No vetting. No verification. No ethical barriers to overcome.

Consider how authentic news is clouded by AI. When a new Pope was named in 2025 several AI videos rode the wave of news to show him providing sermons on topics that were uncharacteristic. Some were real, many were not. Unlikely “news” and controversy gathers attention. They received thousands of views prompting church organizations to write about how to spot fake AI videos. When the tragic floods swept through Texas later in the same year, AI videos swept through social media platforms. Some raised the attention of their creators with follows and likes, others raised fraudulent funds directing viewers to scam donations sites.

We are not yet at the point where every other video we see online is AI fakery, but it is getting close to feeling that way. News cycles, topical content, current events can all provide us with useful information. Information we need. It can also cause us to lower our guard, to suspend our beliefs and quite possibly not see what we are really seeing.

This is where AI has hidden consequences for all of us.

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