A post circulating on Facebook claims that the Philippines can now buy oil from Iran. This is false.
An FB user posted an AI-generated photo of a Philippine oil tanker passing through the Strait of Hormuz on April 4. The photo has this caption:
“Good news mga idol nakaka bili na Ang pilipinas Ng langis sa Iran good job
(Good news, idols! The Philippines can now buy oil from Iran. Good job).”
While the Philippines has secured a high-level agreement with Iran to ensure the safe passage of its vessels and seafarers through the strait, the deal does not involve actual procurement of oil.
The agreement is for the safe passage of Philippine-bound tankers from other Middle Eastern suppliers like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.
The synthetic photo shows various sea vessels traveling through the strait, and one of them is supposedly a Philippine oil tanker that carries the “Maynila Spirit” name in front of it. A review on the list of oil tankers in the country shows no “Maynila Spirit” oil tanker.
VERA Files Fact Check reached out to the Deepfakes Analysis Unit of the India-based Trusted Information Alliance to verify the authenticity of the photo. DAU ran the photo through AI detection tools.
Results from AI detection tools such as AI or Not, SynthID, Sightengine, Was It AI? and Hive Moderation flagged the photo as likely AI-generated.
ImageWhisperer, another AI detection tool used by DAU, found the following red flags in the picture:
- uniform and “too perfect” lighting and texture which are some of the characteristics of an AI-generated content
- the superstructure of the ship has simplified mechanical details
- the rocky terrain was non-photorealistically rendered
- the background of the vessel was anatomical and structural inconsistent
- it also lacks realistic depth of field
- artificial water texture; inconsistent fine detail on distant ships.
The post surfaced after the declaration of a national energy emergency on March 24 and the April 2 agreement for safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz.
The post published by an FB user has so far garnered 1,800 reactions; 198 comments; and 130 shares.
