#FactCheck-AI-generated video of ‘giant hailstorm in Maharashtra’ falsely shared as real weather event
Executive Summary
A video showing unusually large hailstones falling from the sky and damaging parked vehicles is being widely circulated on social media. Users are claiming that the video shows a severe hailstorm in Maharashtra amid the ongoing heatwave conditions in several parts of the country. CyberPeace Research Wing research found the claim to be false. The viral clip is not a real weather event and has been identified as AI-generated content.
Claim:
Social media users shared the video claiming it shows heavy hailstorm in Maharashtra, with captions suggesting widespread damage caused by extreme weather. https://www.facebook.com/reel/1741412617041722, https://archive.is/W2QxM
Fact Check:
A reverse image search of keyframes from the viral video did not yield any credible media reports linking the visuals to any real hailstorm in Maharashtra or elsewhere.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRsWLRowbao
Closer examination of the video revealed multiple inconsistencies, including unnatural movement and unrealistic size and behavior of hailstones, which are commonly associated with AI-generated visuals. The video was further analysed using AI detection tools. Hive Moderation flagged the content as likely AI-generated.
Similarly, Sightengine analysis indicated a 99% probability that the visuals were artificially created.
Conclusion:
The research confirms that the viral video claiming to show a massive hailstorm in Maharashtra is not real. The visuals are AI-generated and do not depict any actual weather event.
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Introduction
The rapid rise of AI tools has reshaped how health content spreads on platforms like Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. These sub-minute videos promise quick fixes for weight loss, glowing skin, or reduced anxiety, often delivered through polished visuals and confident AI-generated voiceovers. The result feels highly personalised, as if the advice is tailored to each viewer, even though it is usually generic and widely recycled.
Short-form videos tend to compress complex health topics into “one tip” solutions, such as drinking a specific detox drink daily or following a single workout for rapid fat loss. While appealing, this oversimplification removes essential context, including individual health conditions, long-term risks, and scientific nuance. For example, viral diet trends or fitness hacks may work for some but can be ineffective or even harmful for others.
Algorithms play a major role in amplifying such content. Videos that promise dramatic transformations or instant results are more likely to gain engagement, which pushes them to wider audiences. Repeated exposure then builds familiarity, making the advice seem more credible over time. Audiences often trust this content due to its clean presentation, authoritative tone, and frequent repetition. However, the risks include misinformation, unrealistic expectations, and potential harm from unverified practices. To approach such content critically, viewers should cross-check claims with credible medical sources, avoid relying on single tip solutions, and remember that real health advice is rarely one size fits all.
The Illusion of Personalisation
AI-generated health content often mimics personalisation through:
- Synthetic voiceovers that designers created to match different age groups through their voice output, which speak specifically to people who are 20 years old and younger.
- The script development process uses data that tracks currently popular search terms.
- Viewers can interpret information through visual elements, which show changes between two different states.
The process of "personalisation" uses generalised data that does not match individual health profiles to create targeted results. The videos fail to provide a medical assessment because they do not consider:
- Existing medical conditions
- Hereditary differences
- Personal habits and the impact of surrounding conditions
The users will think that general medical advice applies to their personal health needs, which will lead them to use this advice inappropriately.
Short-Form Content and Oversimplification
Short-form videos have time limitations, which result in reduced complex medical information development into basic medical stories. The typical patterns of evaluation include these two patterns of evaluation include:
- “One-tip solutions” (e.g., “Drink this before bed to burn fat”)
- Binary framing (“good vs bad foods”)
- The process of eliminating all disclaimers and side effects information
For example, the three diet methods here the three diet methods here
- Viral detox drinks that make the claim to "flush toxins" from the body
- Extreme calorie-cutting diet hacks
- Fitness shortcuts that guarantee users will see results within days
The content demonstrates a pattern of disregarding essential human body operation rules that include both metabolic patterns and human body operation over extended periods of time.
Algorithmic Amplification and Virality
The recommendation algorithms used by Instagram and YouTube deliver their most important results through three main factors, which include:
- Engagement (likes, shares, watch time)
- Retention rates
- Emotional or aspirational triggers
Health-related content that claims to deliver:
- Immediate body changes
- Needs minimal work from viewers
- Results in extreme physical changes
Attractive health-related content that displays extreme physical changes through quick transformations. The system produces a continuous cycle during which:
- Misleading content gains traction
- Algorithms amplify it further
- More creators replicate similar formats using AI tools
The system produces a secondary result that favours content that people share instead of content that has authentic credibility.
Why Do Users Trust AI-Generated Health Content?
Several psychological and technological factors contribute to trust:
- Professional Aesthetics - AI tools generate high-quality visual content together with authentic voiceover performance and expert-level script documentation, which replicates professional communication methods.
- Repetition and Familiarity - When people encounter identical recommendations multiple times, their belief in those recommendations increases through the illusory truth effect.
- Authority Signals
- Medical terminology serves as a standard term
- Medical professionals appear in stock footage through lab coat visuals
- The narrator delivers information through an assertive speaking style
- Perceived Personal Relevance - Algorithmic targeting makes users feel the content is "meant for them.
Real-World Examples of Viral Trends
The typical types of health misinformation that artificial intelligence systems spread through their enhanced capabilities include:
- Diet Trends: Keto shortcuts, extreme intermittent fasting variants
- Fitness Hacks: Spot reduction exercises (scientifically unsupported)
- Supplement Advice: Unverified claims about vitamins or herbal products
- Mental Health Tips: Oversimplified coping strategies that lack clinical evidence
The statement that drinking warm lemon water will detox your liver continues to be popular despite the fact that the liver has natural self-detoxification abilities.
Risks and Public Health Implications
The widespread consumption of such content creates multiple dangers, which include:
1. Physical Health Risks
- Nutritional deficiencies from extreme diets
- Injury from improper exercise techniques
- Delayed medical consultation
2. Psychological Impact
- Unrealistic body image expectations
- Anxiety due to conflicting advice
3. Misinformation Ecosystem
- The public loses confidence in evidence-based medicine
- Unverified or pseudoscientific practices spread throughout society
Regulatory and Ethical Concerns
The increase of AI-generated health materials connects to more extensive problems, which include:
- Who is responsible for the content
- Who is responsible for the platform
- How AI systems show their inner workings to users
Most platforms today do not have strict systems that can:
- Verify medical claims
- Display which health advice comes from artificial intelligence
- Punish users who spread false information multiple times
The absence of regulations allows misleading information to spread without consequences.
A CyberPeace Perspective: Building Digital Health Resilience
The problem needs complete involvement from several parties to create effective solutions that protect both online security and data integrity.
For Users
- Users should confirm claims by using trustworthy medical resources, which include the WHO and peer-reviewed studies.
- People should avoid using "quick solutions" until they receive guidance from certified experts.
- Users should exercise caution when they encounter content that does not include necessary warning signs.
For Platforms
- Platforms should implement systems that enable users to identify AI-generated content.
- Platforms should decrease the visibility of health information that contains false statements.
- Platforms should support authentic health content producers who have been validated.
For Policymakers
- Policymakers should create standards that govern AI-produced medical content.
- Policymakers need to enhance initiatives that teach people about the health information available online.
For Content Creators
- Content creators must show how they implement AI technologies.
- They should stay away from making claims that either go beyond what is needed or state things as absolute truth.
Conclusion
AI-generated health tips on short-form video platforms create complex research conditions that involve three scientific fields: technology, psychology and public health. The tools provide equal access to information, yet create higher risks for people to believe false information when they use the tools without responsible usage.
The challenge requires organisations to maintain user safety through accurate information management while providing users with transparent digital health services. The growing dependence of users on algorithm-based content requires educational institutions to develop students' critical thinking abilities and digital skills to minimise negative effects from AI-driven communication methods.
References
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12924558/
- https://academic.oup.com/heapro/article/40/2/daaf023/8100645
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12673052/
- https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1713794/full
- https://www.who.int/teams/digital-health-and-innovation/digital-channels/combatting-misinformation-online
- https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12982-025-00777-2
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/04/21/chatbot-medical-advice-accurate/
A news graphic bearing the Navbharat Times logo is being widely circulated on social media. The graphic claims that religious preacher Devkinandan Thakur made an extremely offensive and casteist remark targeting the ‘Shudra’ community. Social media users are sharing the graphic and claiming that the statement was actually made by Devkinandan Thakur. Cyber Peace Foundation’s research and verification found that the claim being shared online is misleading. Our research found that the viral news graphic is completely fake and that Devkinandan Thakur did not make any such casteist statement.
Claim
A viral news graphic claims that Devkinandan Thakur made a derogatory and caste-based statement about Shudras.On 17 January 2026, an Instagram user shared the viral graphic with the caption, “This is probably the formula of Ram Rajya.”The text on the graphic reads: “People of Shudra castes reproduce through sexual intercourse, whereas Brahmins give birth to children after marriage through the power of their mantras, without intercourse.” The graphic also carries Devkinandan Thakur’s photograph and identifies him as a ‘Kathavachak’ (religious storyteller).
Fact Check:
To verify the claim, we first searched for relevant keywords on Google. However, no credible or verified media reports were found supporting the claim. In the next stage of verification, we found a post published by NBT Hindi News (Navbharat Times) on X (formerly Twitter) on 17 January 2026, in which the organisation explicitly debunked the viral graphic. Navbharat Times clarified that the graphic circulating online was fake and also shared the original and authentic post related to the news.
Further research led us to Devkinandan Thakur’s official Facebook account, where he posted a clarification on 17 January 2026. In his post, he stated that anti-social elements are creating fake ‘Sanatani’ profiles and spreading false news, misusing the names of reputed media houses and platforms to mislead and divide people. He described the viral content as part of a deliberate conspiracy and fake agenda aimed at weakening unity. He also warned that AI-generated fake videos and fabricated statements are increasingly being used to create confusion, mistrust and division.
Devkinandan Thakur urged people not to believe or share any post, news or video without verification, and advised checking information through official websites, verified social media accounts or trusted sources.
Conclusion
The viral news graphic attributing a casteist statement to Devkinandan Thakur is completely fake.Devkinandan Thakur did not make the alleged remark, and the graphic circulating with the Navbharat Times logo is fabricated.
Executive Summary
As West Bengal heads for vote counting on May 4, 2026, following the second phase of Assembly polling held on April 29, a video is being widely shared on social media. The clip shows security personnel baton-charging civilians, with users claiming it depicts force being used during the West Bengal Assembly Elections 2026. Research by CyberPeace Research Wing found that the viral claim is misleading. The video is actually from Bangladesh and is being falsely linked to the West Bengal elections to spread confusion.
Claim
A Facebook user named “Adv Mohd Salman” shared the clip on April 29, 2026, using Bengal-related hashtags and claiming that voters standing in line were beaten to influence the election outcome. The post alleged that free and fair voting rights were being suppressed.
Fact Check
To verify the claim, we closely examined the viral video. A vehicle visible in the footage had a registration number written in a non-Hindi script. Using Google Lens reverse image search, we found a matching image uploaded on Alamy on December 30, 2018. The image showed a military vehicle with the same script and registration style seen in the viral clip.
According to the description on the platform, the image was taken in Dhaka during Bangladesh’s national elections and showed Bangladeshi army personnel moving through a street near a polling station. This confirms that the viral footage is not related to the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections.
Conclusion
Our research confirms that the video showing security personnel baton-charging civilians is from Bangladesh, not West Bengal. It is being falsely shared as footage from the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections to mislead users.
