This is a research prototype. The data and analyses are preliminary and not yet validated — we'd welcome your .
A fabricated image of U.S. Vice President JD [name withheld] and his wife arguing in a restaurant circulated on social media in December 2025. The image was created by a YouTuber using ChatGPT and used to fuel speculative rumors about the couple's marriage. The creator later confirmed the image was fake, and the Vice President publicly addressed the rumor.
A fabricated image purportedly depicting U.S. Vice President JD Vance arguing with his wife, Usha Vance, in a restaurant circulated on Facebook and X in December 2025. The image was later confirmed by its creator to have been generated using ChatGPT and falsely presented as an authentic photograph. The image was shared alongside speculative claims about the Vances' marriage.
Domain classification, causal taxonomy, severity scores, and national security assessments were LLM-classified and may contain errors.
AI systems that inadvertently generate or spread incorrect or deceptive information, which can lead to inaccurate beliefs in users and undermine their autonomy. Humans that make decisions based on false beliefs can experience physical, emotional or material harms
Also classified as
The AI tool was used to generate a synthetic likeness of public figures to manipulate public beliefs about their personal life.
The incident involved the generation and viral spread of a fabricated image depicting a public figure in a false scenario, leading to public misinformation and rumors.
Human
Due to a decision or action made by humans
Unintentional
Due to an unexpected outcome from pursuing a goal
Post-deployment
Occurring after the AI model has been trained and deployed
The risk of misinformation arose post-deployment when a human user intentionally generated a fake image for a YouTube thumbnail, which then unexpectedly went viral as a real photo on social media.
Added categories peak at 2: Minor (Epistemic Harm, Indirect)
An individual YouTuber used ChatGPT to create a fake image of US Vice President JD Vance and his wife. The image went viral on social media, fueling marital rumors before being debunked. The incident represents a minor national security concern, highlighting the ongoing but established threat of consumer AI tools being used to generate realistic deepfakes of political figures.
The AI system ChatGPT was used as a tool by a human creator to perform the specific function of generating a single image thumbnail based on direct prompt inputs.
Risk Level 3: Limited Risk. The incident involves the generation of AI-generated content (a deepfake image), which falls under the category of systems posing moderate risk and requiring transparency obligations.
The AI system was used to generate a synthetic image of real individuals to depict a fabricated scenario, which is the definition of deepfake image generation.
The report clearly identifies the AI system used, the creator who admitted to generating the image, the platforms where it circulated, and the specific public figures affected. Mixed results from forensic tools are detailed, but the fake nature of the image is fully confirmed by the creator and the subjects.
None. The creator explicitly confirmed the image was a fake thumbnail generated with ChatGPT.
Technology
Generative AI Image Creation
ChatGPT was used to easily generate realistic fake images of public figures.
Inconsistent AI Detection Tools
AI detectors like Hive failed to flag the image as AI-generated.
Forensic Trace Degradation
Low resolution and compression smudged the forensic traces of AI generation.
Data Inputs
Low-Resolution Inputs
Low resolution and compression made biometric and forensic analysis difficult.
Human Factors
Intentional Creation of Fake Media
A YouTuber created the fake image as a video thumbnail.
Social Media Sharing of Rumors
Users shared the fake image to fuel rumors about the couple's marriage.
Confirmation Bias
Users believed the fake image because it aligned with existing rumors.
Process and Methods
Lack of Platform Verification
Social media platforms lacked automated checks to flag synthetic media.
Inadequate Forensic Standards
Forensic tools struggled with heavily compressed social media images.
Regulatory Environment
Lack of Synthetic Media Laws
No regulations prevented the creation or viral spread of deepfakes.
AI system involved
Identified by automated extraction; can differ from the alleged developers above.
