Fake AI-generated Marina Lysaro orca attack video gains traction

A TikTok video of  23-year old marine trainer Marina Lysaro being “attacked and killed” by an orca at Pacific Blue Marine Park has gone viral. This comes shortly after another such video of a fictitious woman named Jessica Radcliffe, also said to be a marine trainer, was widely circulated but was found to be untrue.

AI-generated TikTok video of 23-year old marine trainer Marina Lysaro goes viral

“Sad news. The TERRIFYING Last Moments of Orca Trainer Marina Lysaro. It’s a tragic reminder that wild animals belong in the wild. We need to respect their space for everyone’s safety. Rest in peace to her. Let’s all drop a ‘Rest in Peace’ for her in the comments,” the caption of the viral video said.

In pictures, Marina is seen sitting on the edge of the pool and touching her nose with that of the orca and in another, the orca attacks her and her blood and flesh dangles all over the animal and in water.

While many expressed sadness and horror at the event, others worried that it may have been AI-generated, as proven later.

"“Look at the kids falling and disappearing as they run down the steps. Sooooo AI," one said.

"Marina Lysaro has been a trainer of Orca since 'calves". They became bestfriend with different shows, but unfornately "wild is wild' according to folks..Later they realized that their nature is different until life became a mess," one posted on Instagram.

Digital forensic experts and fact-checkers quickly sensed that something was amiss. Firstly, no public profile of Marina Lysaro was found upon a quick search, nor was there any reliable news sources, obituaries or official statements from the marine park where she supposedly died. 

This video gained massive traction despite being fake, perhaps due to its likeliness to real-life situations like these and viewers' propensity to negativity.

These fabricated videos often exploit real-world incidents like the Dawn Brancheau case

A very famous attack happened back in 2010, when Tilikum killed Dawn Brancheau, a SeaWorld trainer with a lot of experience, during a show in Orlando. He pulled her underwater in a long, violent fight. These AI-videos replicate events like these to gain traction.

After such fake video circulation stories of imagined people like Jessica Radcliffe, it has become more important than ever to fact-check and distinguish genuine tragedies from those exploited for profit.

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