AI videos of Hurricane Melissa are out of control

Jamaica is currently fighting against a Category 5 hurricane, while TikTok users are using OpenAI’s video tool Sora to create fake Hurricane Melissa videos for views.

Hurricane Melissa is perhaps the most powerful hurricane the world will see this year.

The hurricane, which is a maximum strength Category 5 hurricane, is possibly the “storm of the century,” the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said, as per Reuters.

The situation in Jamaica has been particularly catastrophic, as videos of the disaster have spread across social media, demonstrating just how devastating Hurricane Melissa is.

However, all is not what it seems, as many TikTok videos depicting sharks in pools and aquatic life making their home in the streets aren’t real.

Instead, TikTok users have been using OpenAI’s Sora and other AI models to generate highly offensive videos, just for the clicks.

Videos that show AI-generated sharks in pools and Jamaican residents on rafts battling the floods have flooded TikTok and X.

One video shows people from a hotel room videoing the scene, with sharks swimming in the hotel pool.

@romainetv2 Look what hurricane Melissa did to Jamaica! #shark #hurricane #jamaicatiktok ♬ original sound - romainetv2

While Cybernews couldn’t verify the legitimacy of this video, there have been limited reports of sharks and other aquatic wildlife flooding into hotel pools. However, if you see a video like this, it’s most likely generated using AI.

Another video bearing the distinctive “Sora” watermark shows a man riding a makeshift raft adorned with a Pan-African flag (for some reason).

The video, which some have deemed highly offensive, shows the man seemingly declaring war on the storm, saying that no hurricane will stop him.

@bigfootvlogboyz Hurricane Melissa Kingston Jamaica man taken out to sea. #jamaica #hurricane #gully #kingston #scary ♬ original sound - bigfootvlogboyz

The final video that Cybernews found is one that shows sharks swimming in a flooded street while someone films the scene on their phone.

The creator labeled the video AI-generated, but the caption makes it look like a real scene.

“This is out of control,” the caption reads with various hashtags relating to Hurricane Melissa and Jamaica.

@yulian_studios ésto está fuera de control #melissa #huracan #melissa #repdom🇩🇴 #jamaica @Matias Alofoke @RECONOCIDOS.NET ♬ sonido original - yulian studios U.S.A

More ridiculous videos depicting weather reporters supposedly reporting from Jamaica have surfaced on TikTok, seemingly making light of the devastating situation.

@yulian_studios ésto está fuera de control #melissa #huracan #melissa #repdom🇩🇴 #jamaica @Matias Alofoke @RECONOCIDOS.NET ♬ sonido original - yulian studios U.S.A

@bigfootvlogboyz crazy reporter in jamaica during hurricane Melissa. #hurricane #kinsgston #jamaica ♬ original sound - bigfootvlogboyz

Both of the videos Cybernews found bear the Sora watermark.

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