(LifeSiteNews) — You’re scrolling on Facebook or Instagram and suddenly a video comes across your feed: “Pope Leo XIV issues MAJOR announcement about the Mass.”
You click on it, but there’s no actual video of Pope Leo talking or links to an official Vatican document.
Instead, a stilted, almost robotic voice speaks in the background as bright captions flash and stock videos play.
There’s a good chance you just clicked on a video created by artificial intelligence.
As followers of Christ, it’s important that we avoid gossip, calumny, or slander. That includes making sure the videos we are sharing, and the news we are telling others, is truthful and fully accurate. With the rise of AI, we must become informed citizens and be able to separate truthful content from fabricated videos spread by unscrupulous actors.
While it is one thing to laugh at an obvious AI-video of Donald Trump or some other politician doing something silly, it becomes serious when we unwittingly share false information or form our opinions based on fabricated content.
Here are a few ways to avoid getting tricked by AI-generated videos.
Look for information on the account
Unfortunately, there’s a popular YouTube channel of someone who claims to be a priest. Every video he posts uses eye-grabbing graphics and titles such as “Cardinal Sarah Just Sent Pope Leo XIV a BRUTAL Message in a MAJOR Italian Newspaper” and “Pope Leo XIV Named 7 Men to the Vatican’s Supreme Court – One Name Changes Everything.” That is a common tactic of legitimate pages.
But simple searches indicate the creator is not really a priest. For example, the person claims to be “a Catholic priest from Chicago’s South Side, now dedicated to one mission: telling you the truth they don’t want you to hear.”
“Father Samuel” claims he was “silenced” for exposing “corruption.”
Yet there are no records of a “Father Samuel” when Googling for terms like “Father Samuel Archdiocese of Chicago.” Under “main info,” the listed country is “Spain.”
Commonsense holds that if a priest really did prominently expose corruption, there would likely be a response from his diocese as well as coverage in LifeSiteNews, National Catholic Register, Lepanto Institute, or some other reputable Catholic publication. We’d also expect secular news outlets to report on embezzlement, fraud, or sex abuse within the Catholic Church.
The lesson: Content creators should have a public profile. If they truly are whistleblowers, there should be external reporting on their claims.
Look for stilted language, unnatural movements, or anything out of the ordinary
This account, as you can see below, includes brief videos of the alleged creator. But the audio clearly does not match up to the person speaking. Notably, the video is labeled as “AI” but it is quite small. Also, the label only indicates that AI was used to produce the video — it does not indicate the creator himself is AI-generated.
This is just a sense thing, but oftentimes you can just feel or get an inclination that a video is fake. Once you watch enough fake videos, you can easily spot them.
Unfortunately, AI videos can creep into real pages.
Several months ago, I clicked on a supposedly new album from the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles. By some sort of glitch or third-party error, an AI-generated album supposedly from the nuns appeared on their page. Thankfully, it has since been removed after I alerted them. But I first got a sense it was fake because I knew what their singing sounded like — reverent and melodic. This fake album sounded more like electric rock or punk music.
The lesson: You have a general sense of how people talk and act. If something sounds unnatural or seems off, it might be because the video is fake.
Look for verifying information
It should not be hard to find external verification of the claims made in a video.
Let’s say you see a video that appears to be Vice President JD Vance supposedly making a speech in Cleveland, Ohio. A simple search should be able to find articles and official White House transcripts of when Vance was in Cleveland. Fox News, MSNBC, and CNN should have video of the speech as well.
If you cannot find any trace of him speaking there, then you can assume the video is fabricated or manipulated.
The same is true with Catholic content. If a video appears to show Pope Leo giving a major address, try to find the original video on the Vatican’s website or on a reputable news source. You should be able to find a transcript of remarks as well as external commentary on the speech.
The lesson: If a video seems off, try to find the original source, such as the actual full press conference or an official transcript.
None of these tips are enough alone. The “Father Samuel” videos are often based on real stories and transcripts, for example. The fake Benedictines album appeared on their actual YouTube page.
That is why that as followers of Christ we must use our God-given wisdom and prudence when viewing content online to ensure we do not form opinions based on false information.
