A tragic incident unfolded on June 15 when a B-52 bomber crashed at Edwards Air Force Base in California, resulting in the loss of all eight lives on board. Military officials are currently investigating the cause of the crash, a process that typically spans several months. In the wake of this disaster, social media users began circulating misleading images purported to depict the crash scene.
A Facebook post from June 15 showcased a collage of dramatic images, including a military aircraft engulfed in flames during takeoff, a mid-air explosion, and a destroyed plane billowing smoke on the ground. The post inaccurately claimed, "B-52 nuclear-armed bomber crashes at Edwards AFB – 8 confirmed dead as training mission turns tragic." Similarly, an Instagram post the following day featured graphic photos of a battered aircraft, further fueling the misinformation.
As of June 16, Edwards Air Force Base had not released any official images related to the incident. To verify the authenticity of the images circulating on social media, we utilized Hive Moderation, an AI-detection tool which indicated a 99.5% likelihood that the photos were AI-generated, likely produced by OpenAI's ChatGPT Images 2.0. Additionally, when we analyzed the Instagram images, they too demonstrated a high probability of being AI-generated, with most rated around 99% by the same tool.
The investigation into the crash is ongoing. Col. James Hayes, the deputy commander for the 412 Test Wing at Edwards, described the incident as an "unrecoverable crash" that was "unsurvivable," with the wreckage rendered almost unidentifiable. Reliable sources like CNN reported that aerial footage of the crash site revealed little more than ash, with no resemblance to the images circulated online. Alarmingly, a different video claiming to show the aftermath of this crash garnered over a million views but actually depicted a B-52 bomber crash from three decades ago.
