{"id":56233,"date":"2026-01-27T22:29:22","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T03:29:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/images-depicting-deadly-pakistan-mall-fire-are-ai-generated\/27\/01\/2026\/"},"modified":"2026-01-27T22:29:22","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T03:29:22","slug":"images-depicting-deadly-pakistan-mall-fire-are-ai-generated","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/images-depicting-deadly-pakistan-mall-fire-are-ai-generated\/27\/01\/2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Images depicting deadly Pakistan mall fire are AI-generated"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\n<\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">After a fire tore through the Gul Plaza shopping mall in Pakistan&#8217;s biggest city Karachi in mid-January, dramatic AI-generated images circulated in social media posts falsely claiming they showed the blaze. The images, which differ from AFP photos and video of the fire and its aftermath, also contain visual errors indicative of AI-generated content.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;Deeply saddened by the unfortunate fire incident at Gul Plaza Karachi. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families during this difficult time,&#8221; reads the <a href=\"https:\/\/perma.cc\/TX5L-A39E\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:caption of an image;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">caption of an image<\/a> shared on X on January 19, 2026.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The image shows black smoke billowing from a burning building, with firefighters trying to put out the fire.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">A similar image shared in an <a href=\"https:\/\/perma.cc\/F5A8-U93G\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:X post;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">X post<\/a> on January 18 is captioned: &#8220;Gul Plaza was not just a shopping center, it was a cultural icon of Karachi. The exact number of lives lost in the fire may never be fully known, but the scale of loss is heartbreaking.&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><span>Screenshots of false X posts captured on January 27, 2026, with red Xs added by AFP<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The images were also shared in similar <a href=\"https:\/\/perma.cc\/R38G-M786\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Facebook;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Facebook<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/perma.cc\/B4G2-BP9E\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Instagram;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Instagram<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/perma.cc\/QM2X-A8G3\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:X posts;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">X posts<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">They spread in the days after a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/1968777\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:major fire;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">major fire<\/a> &#8212; which police blamed on &#8220;negligence and carelessness&#8221; &#8212; \u00a0ripped through the Gul Plaza shopping centre in Pakistan&#8217;s biggest city of Karachi on January 17 (<a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20260127044502\/https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/1968777\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:archived link;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">archived link<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">According to a January 25 report by Pakistani media organisation Dawn, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/1968996\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:at least 73 people;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">at least 73 people<\/a> were killed in the blaze\u00a0(<a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20260127043833\/https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/1968996\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:archived link;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">archived link<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">While fires are common in Karachi&#8217;s markets and factories, which are known for their poor infrastructure, a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.channelnewsasia.com\/asia\/pakistan-mall-fire-death-toll-rises-gul-plaza-5878486\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:blaze;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">blaze<\/a> on such a\u00a0scale is rare (<a href=\"https:\/\/perma.cc\/KSN6-VEY6\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:archived link;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">archived link<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The images circulating online, however, do not show the fire that engulfed the shopping centre.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Google <a href=\"https:\/\/factcheck.afp.com\/how-do-reverse-image-search\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:reverse image searches;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">reverse image searches<\/a> flagged the pictures as having been &#8220;made with Google AI&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Further analysis using\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.google\/innovation-and-ai\/products\/google-synthid-ai-content-detector\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:SynthID;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">SynthID<\/a> &#8212; a detector launched by Google in May 2025 to identify AI-generated content &#8212; identified with a &#8220;very high&#8221; level of confidence that the images were created with the help of its AI tools (<a href=\"https:\/\/perma.cc\/8C3W-MQP5\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:archived link;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">archived link<\/a>).<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"&lt;span&gt;Screenshots of the SynthID Detector results&lt;\/span&gt;\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"839\" height=\"1080\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/u2RHrz8knMGusS1kQah9HA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTEyMzY7Y2Y9d2VicA--\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/afp_factcheck_us_713\/e0abdf490cb53b5d73be200b5dd2164c\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><span>Screenshots of the SynthID Detector results<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">A visual comparison of the AI-generated images and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/perma.cc\/3653-72KV\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:AFP photographs;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">AFP photographs<\/a> of the deadly blaze shows multiple errors.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">These errors include a misspelling of the shopping centre&#8217;s name, the building being incorrectly structured, and missing high-rise buildings in the background.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"&lt;span&gt;Screenshot comparison between the AI-generated images (left and centre) and AFP photograph at the scene (right), with inconsistencies highlighted by AFP&lt;\/span&gt;\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"268\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/Zt38puWivRgItxBZxNVxjw--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTI2ODtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/afp_factcheck_us_713\/915b36a3b467581b1218cfe22a5525eb\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><span>Screenshot comparison between the AI-generated images (left and centre) and AFP photograph at the scene (right), with inconsistencies highlighted by AFP<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Moreover, an\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=T-_NHfAxHoA\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:AFP video;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">AFP video<\/a> shows there was extensive damage to large sections of Gul Plaza which housed approximately 1,200 shops\u00a0 (<a href=\"https:\/\/perma.cc\/HVC7-UXL8\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:archived link;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">archived link<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">BBC Verify also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/live\/c93vdkqg2g2t?post=asset%3Afe1859a8-0833-49d3-bc63-2f1e636999b3#post\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:debunked;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">debunked<\/a> the falsely shared images during its coverage on January 19 (<a href=\"https:\/\/perma.cc\/K7Y2-M9CR\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:archived link;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">archived link<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">AFP has previously <a href=\"https:\/\/factcheck.afp.com\/doc.afp.com.838C6T3\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:fact-checked;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">fact-checked<\/a> other AI-generated visuals misrepresented as real <a href=\"https:\/\/factcheck.afp.com\/doc.afp.com.86NB4ZQ\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:incidents;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">incidents<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/factcheck.afp.com\/doc.afp.com.782L6KN\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:disasters;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">disasters<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/articles\/images-depicting-deadly-pakistan-mall-023206488.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After a fire tore through the Gul Plaza shopping mall in Pakistan&rsquo;s biggest city Karachi in mid-January, dramatic AI-generated images circulated in<br \/><button class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/images-depicting-deadly-pakistan-mall-fire-are-ai-generated\/27\/01\/2026\/\">Read More &rsaquo;<\/a><\/button><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":56234,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/_DN2vWLpH27cRVlBm1l.Zg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyMDA7aD0zMzQ7Y2Y9d2VicA--\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/afp_factcheck_us_713\/915b36a3b467581b1218cfe22a5525eb","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56233"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56233"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56233\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56234"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56233"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56233"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56233"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}