On February 2, 2023, a Georgian-language Facebook user published a post claiming that a new method of burying the dead has been introduced in Europe, according to which the corpse is filled with resin and used as a coffee table. According to the user, the dead are insulted by such action and this method is not very new. The post is accompanied by a photo in which 3 people are standing behind the “coffee table” described by the user.
A Russian-speaking Facebook user shared an identical photo with a similar description.
The disseminated photo is generated by Artificial Intelligence (AI). It was posted on June 19, 2023, by an X (formerly Twitter) user.
Using the photo reverse search method, it was found that even this (AI) version of the photo has already been altered. On June 18, 2023, user Kelly Port published an almost similar photo on social network X, however, instead of the deceased, a stuffed dog with an unnaturally large head is placed in the “coffee table”.
Notably, the Port did not specify whether the photo was real or AI-generated, but in the comments, the majority of social network users realized that the post was a joke. This is due to the fact that Kelly Port works in Hollywood and leads the visual effects team of many famous films.
The photo shared on Facebook first appeared in the comments section of Kelly Port’s post on June 19. It was uploaded by the account Free Willie Urqs with the caption: “So much fun encasing ‘loved ones’ in acrylic resin!”, to which Port responded: “Grandma makes for a really good coffee table!” Since June 20, this photo has already gone viral on many social networks.
On June 22, X user Jordan Liles wrote in a post comment that he was a reporter gathering information on these images and asked Port and Free Willie Urqs to provide him with details, to which the latter replied that he personally used the new Photoshop beta with AI generation to create the photo, though he didn’t know how Kelly Port created the dog photo.
It should be noted that in addition to the recognition of its creator, in the case of observing the circulated photo, it can be easily noticed that it is generated by artificial intelligence. In particular, the woman has 6 fingers on her right hand, and her left hand looks completely unnatural.
The American fact-checking organization Snopes also verified the circulated photo. In addition to analyzing the photo and finding the information, they also used artificial intelligence detection tools, which determined that the photo was most likely created by artificial intelligence.
Currently, in the vast majority of European countries, there are two methods of burying the dead: burial and cremation. However, it should be noted that many people want a more environmentally friendly funeral, and in response to this, the UK’s largest funeral service company announced in 2023 that by the end of the year, they would be offering customers a ‘water cremation’ option. In this method, the body is placed in a large device filled with water and an alkaline solution. In a few hours, the body is completely decomposed into chemical components and only the bones remain, which are then ground, the obtained white powder is placed in a special bin and given to the family.
About the Source:
The Facebook user Maia Tvaltvadze regularly spreads disinformation and conspiracy theories. False information spread by the user has been debunked by “Myth Detector” a number of times in the past.
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