FACT CHECK: AI-generated video misrepresented as Mayon Volcano eruption

Claim: A video shows an explosive eruption occurring at Mayon Volcano, with thick ash plumes billowing out of the volcano.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The Facebook video has already received 2.7 million views, 41,000 reactions, 7,200 shares, and 1,600 comments as of writing. It was posted on January 7 amid the continued unrest of Mayon Volcano. 

The text on the video reads, “Ingat mga kababayan sa [Bicol] (Keep safe, fellow countrymen in Bicol).” It also has a “Wednesday” sticker overlaid on the video, giving the impression that the eruption happened on January 7. 

The video purportedly shows an explosive eruption occurring at Mayon, prompting concern among several social media users, especially those living near the volcano.

The facts: While Mayon Volcano is at a relatively high level of unrest, the Facebook video is AI-generated and does not depict the current state of the volcano. 

AI video detector Hive Moderation flagged the video as 99.3% likely to contain AI-generated content, while image detector Decopy AI detected 100% probability of AI content based on a screenshot of the video. Sight Engine also flagged the content as 98% likely to be AI-generated. 

On January 7, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) released time-lapse footage of pyroclastic density currents (PDCs), or fragmented volcanic particles, gases, and ash, running down Mayon’s slopes. These were generated by the collapse of the lava dome at the volcano’s summit.

The time-lapse footage shares no similarity with the images depicted in the AI-generated video, which shows an explosive release of thick plumes of ash. 

No AI tag can be seen in the video or caption of the post. Some social media users questioned the authenticity of the video, with one commenter attaching a photo of Mayon with the note, “Nag-agi pa sana ako now Wednesday…ini po su picture ko sa Mayon today dahil mauran po digdi sa Bicol.” (I just passed by the volcano now, Wednesday. This is my picture of Mayon today because it’s raining here in Bicol.)

Volcanic unrest: As of Thursday, January 15, Mayon Volcano continues to show intensified or magmatic unrest under Alert Level 3. On Wednesday, January 14, 207 rockfall events and 27 PDCs were recorded.

More than 4,000 Albay residents have been evacuated, with authorities preparing to evacuate those within the 8-kilometer-radius extended danger zone should the volcano be placed under Alert Level 4.

Meanwhile, authorities initiated preemptive evacuation in parts of Albay vulnerable to lahar and flooding as Tropical Depression Ada is expected to bring heavy rain to Bicol.

Previous fact-checks: Rappler has previously debunked false claims about Mayon Volcano, with some using AI-generated videos to misrepresent the volcano’s true state.

• FACT CHECK: Videos of Mayon eruption are AI-generated, volcano at Alert Level 3 as of January 9 
• FACT CHECK: No announcement of January 8 lockdown in Luzon due to Mayon Volcano unrest 
• FACT CHECK: No recent eruption at Mayon Volcano, video uses 2018 photos 
• FACT CHECK: No sudden phreatic eruption at Mayon Volcano on August 13 
• FACT CHECK: Mayon Volcano alert status has not been raised to Level 4 

– Angelee Kaye Abelinde/Rappler.com 

Angelee Kaye Abelinde is a student journalist based in Naga City, and an alumna of Rappler’s Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship 2024.

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