AI image of deadly snake sent Santa Ana into panic. It's a new hoax headache for police
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Set us as preferred The warning from police was so terrifying, it was easy to overlook it also was implausible.A Gaboon viper — a highly venomous snake native to the rainforests and savannas of sub-Saharan Africa — was on the loose in a Santa Ana neighborhood.Officials issued the alert Monday after a man shared with police an image appearing to show the dangerous reptile slithering from the thin branch of a tree onto the roof of a backyard shed.
The public got the message, with some parents keeping their children indoors while police and herpetologists scoured that backyard for the snake.The snake hunt was featured on TV newscasts and in newspaper articles.
A woman living nearby called police in a panic after she found a snake, which turned out not to be a viper.But almost from the beginning, some people questioned whether a Gaboon viper really could be slithering through the Orange County city.After roughly two days of investigation, police informed the public the entire panic was driven by a hoax.
The photo was a fabrication, generated by AI.The sham thrust to the forefront a growing problem: Law enforcement agencies across the country increasingly are receiving photos and other evidence that’s been manipulated or wholly generated with artificial intelligence, experts say.
“These types of threats are not going away, so we need to find a way to mitigate it,” said Joseph Lestrange, a former division chief at Homeland Security Investigations.“At least we can try and save our cops from going on wild goose chases.” California The snake was reported in Santa Ana “in a tree within a residential neighborhood,” police said.
But questions about its authenticity soon emerged.Law enforcement largely has been “behind the curve” in adapting to the world of AI, which has implications for spoofing issues like ...