US President Donald Trump claimed that a viral video showing a black bag being thrown out of a White House window was "probably AI-generated". This assertion came despite the White House press office earlier stating that the video was real and showed a contractor doing "regular maintenance" while Trump was absent.
The brief clip, which sparked speculation and satire online, appears to show a person in white tossing a black plastic bag and other objects out of a top-floor window of the White House, where the private presidential residence is located. Trump asked Fox News reporter Peter Doocy to show him the video and commented that it was "a little bit scary" how realistic artificial intelligence-generated videos could be.
Trump emphasized that the White House windows are heavily armored and bulletproof, weighing around 600 pounds each, making it impossible for them to be opened easily. He jokingly mentioned that if something bad happens, he might just blame AI. The White House had previously attributed the incident to a contractor performing routine maintenance, dismissing claims of anything suspicious.
Digital forensics expert Hany Farid reviewed the video and found no signs of AI manipulation, such as digital watermarks. Farid noted that the shadows, flags, and structure of the White House in the video appear consistent and physically accurate.
