Prom Revenge-Murder Story Is AI-Generated Fake News, Police Say

A Viral TikTok video about a man murdering a teen at her prom in Livonia, Michigan, was proven to be fake. 

In the now-deleted video, the narrator explained details of a murder that allegedly occurred after the Livonia High School prom. According to the video, a man named Douglass Barnes killed a teen girl named Samantha McCaffery. The video claimed the murder was revenge for Samantha’s father, who was allegedly a cop, for killing Barnes’s son several years ago. Livonia police have confirmed that the story is fabricated.

“It’s not going on in Livonia. It’s fake news going around social media,” Livonia Police told Fox 2 News Detroit.

They went on to say that Livonia High School doesn’t exist in Michigan, and they would not find a person named Douglass Barnes in the state. A reverse-image search of the photo in the video resulted in stories about another fake murder, which suggests that the image may be AI-generated.

Other AI-generated news websites have reposted the story, which helps to make it appear legitimate.

Earlier this month, the popular social media platform said it would start labeling AI-generated content; however, this story had no label.

AI-generated fake news is a growing problem. A recent study that was co-authored by researchers from Google, Duke University, and other fact-checking groups shows that hoaxes now make up an alarming 60% of all fact-checked claims that include media. Fake news isn’t the only problem caused by AI. Scammers have used the technology to clone voices, which can lead victims to think they are speaking with someone they know. A former teacher was arrested in April after investigators found that he used AI to mimic his former supervisor’s voice in a fake racist rant.

Click here for tips on how to spot fake news online.

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