AI can now fake the videos we trust most. How to tell the difference—and how newsrooms can respond

Real eyewitness footage contains the rough edges that come with real life. Those traits are now creeping into AI-generated video, too. The footage was real, verified, and delightful: a security camera clip of a coyote bouncing on a backyard trampoline in Los Angeles. Days after the video went viral, near-identical kangaroos, bears, and rabbits began circulating too, all generated by AI. Millions shared them, believing they’d captured another glimpse of animals behaving hilariously.