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Mahmoud Bennett Social Media Producer/Reporter
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Fake AI-generated photos of Trump’s arrest circulate online

Mahmoud Bennett Social Media Producer/Reporter
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As New York prosecutors wrap up their probe into whether Trump engaged in an illegal hush-money scheme involving an adult film actress, Twitter users saw fabricated images of Donald Trump getting arrested and dragged away by police. The images were generated by an AI software called Midjourney, and first shared on Twitter by British blogger Eliot Higgins.

The images gained millions of views, with some users captioning the images with false claims that the former president had been arrested. This prompted various news outlets to quickly fact-check the authenticity of the viral images and claims.

Misinformation experts warn the images are harbingers of a new reality: waves of fake photos and videos flooding social media after major news events and further muddying fact and fiction at crucial times for society, as reported by The Associated Press. While the ability to manipulate photos and create fake images isn’t new, AI image generator tools by Midjourney, DALL-E and others are easier to use. They can quickly generate realistic images — complete with detailed backgrounds — on a mass scale with little more than a simple text input.

Currently, a grand jury in New York is weighing a possible indictment of Donald Trump on charges stemming from an investigation into a $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels in 2016, the BBC reports. Trump denies any wrongdoing.

While hush money is not illegal in itself, prosecutors say the way Trump documented the payment when he was running for president in 2016 amounts to falsifying business records, which is a misdemeanor — a criminal offense in New York.

In anticipation of protests for when the grand jury makes a decision, law enforcement in Washington, D.C., and New York have set up barricades in the area. Trump would become the first former or sitting president to ever be charged with a crime if an indictment is filed.

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IF YOU’VE BEEN SCROLLING THROUGH TWITTER RECENTLY YOU’VE PROBABLY SEEN THESE AI GENERATED IMAGES OF DONALD TRUMP GETTING ARRESTED AND DRAGGED AWAY BY POLICE

THE FABRICATED PHOTOS GARNERED MILLIONS OF VIEWS AND CAPTIONS FOLLOWING AN ANTICIPATED ARREST OF THE FORMER PRESIDENT… IT PROMPTED OUTLETS TO QUICKLY FACT CHECK THE FALSE CLAIMS 

THE IMAGES WERE CREATED USING MID JOURNEY- AN AI GENERATIVE SOFTWARE THAT CAN MAKE PICTURES FROM TEXT –- THE BRITISH BLOGGER WHO USED THE TOOL TO CREATE THE FAKE PHOTOS HAS NOW REPORTEDLY BEEN BANNED FROM THE PLATFORM

ASIDE FROM JUST HOW SOPHISTICATED AI TECHNOLOGY HAS GOTTEN –

THIS COMES AS NEW YORK PROSECUTORS INCH CLOSER TO ISSUING A POSSIBLE INDICTMENT OF THE FORMER PRESIDENT

LAW ENFORCEMENT IN DC AND NEW YORK ARE SETTING UP BARRICADES IN ANTICIPATION OF PROTESTS WHEN THE GRAND JURY MAKES A DECISION

TRUMP HAS BEEN ACCUSED OF PAYING MONEY TO A PORN STAR TO KEEP HER QUIET OVER THEIR ALLEGED AFFAIR – IT’S SOMETHING TRUMP DENIES

AND WHILE HUSH MONEY IS NOT ILLEGAL IN ITSELF, PROSECUTORS SAY THE WAY TRUMP *DOCUMENTED IT* WHEN HE WAS RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT IN 2016 AMOUNTS TO FALSIFYING BUSINESS RECORDS – A CRIMINAL OFFENSE IN NEW YORK

THAT’S YOUR QUICK BREAKDOWN WITH STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS – FOR DEEPER COVERAGE ON THIS STORY CHECK OUT STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS.COM – UNBIASED STRAIGHT FACTS