Compilation video claiming to show Myanmar earthquake damage is likely AI

A video which appears to show scenes of devastation after the earthquake in Myanmar has likely been produced using Artificial Intelligence (AI).

The footage is a compilation of what appear to be aerial shots of the damage caused by the 7.7 magnitude quake which occurred on Friday, 28 March and which has reportedly killed over 2,700 people so far in Myanmar and 21 people in neighbouring Thailand.

It has been shared widely across social media platforms, including on Facebook, Instagram, Threads and X (formerly Twitter).

The video appears to show a broken bridge over a river, a collapsed road bridge, and a shot of a ruined city with a huge crater in the middle, and severely damaged streets with large cracks. Text on the video says: “Myanmar Earthquake 17M people Affected”.

But although at first glance they appear very realistic, these clips aren’t real footage from the disaster.

They have been most likely created with AI video software. A watermark of the word ‘Runway’ in the bottom-right corner of the video, which is visible during the first, second and sixth and seventh clips, shows that these were almost certainly made using tools from the AI company Runway.

Text has been added to the third, fourth and fifth clips which, possibly deliberately, covers this corner of the video, meaning there is no watermark visible. 

However, there are other clues that these clips were created digitally too. 

Although they appear to be moving videos, seemingly filmed by drone or from a helicopter, the people visible are stationary in all of the footage, despite the clips also featuring moving smoke and a fire.

Another reason to doubt the veracity of these clips is that they appear high quality and comprehensive, but getting information out of Myanmar, even for verified media organisations, has been difficult. The country’s military government controls most local radio, television, print and online media, and internet use is also restricted. 

Foreign journalists are also rarely allowed into the country to report officially, and the military junta that has ruled Myanmar since 2021 has said it will not grant visas for foreign reporters requesting to cover the aftermath of the earthquake.

We have previously fact checked other AI-created content depicting natural disasters, including from Hurricane Helene, and from the LA fires in the US in January.

Before sharing an image that you see on social media, it’s important to consider whether what you are seeing is genuine, and whether the source is reliable. Our guides to spotting AI-generated content can help you do this.