Creator of AI Gaza video shared by Trump warns of possible dangers

The artificial intelligence (AI) generated video depicting Trump’s “Gaza Strip” spread when the US President shared it himself on Truth Social, although without any context. The video’s creator, product designer Solo Avital, is now warning netizens how dangerous AI-generated content is, especially when used without proper attribution or explanation.

In an interview with the BBC Thursday, Avital said that together with his business partner, filmmaker Ariel Vromen, they created the video to “test the speed and quality” of Arcana Labs’ latest AI model.

“We figured, OK, let’s try to do something within our eight hours, one shift, kind of like one seat between two cups of coffee, if you may. And just as it happened, my partner, Ariel Vrooman, who is a filmmaker himself, was in Las Vegas,” Avital remarked.

The Israeli-born US citizen co-founded EyeMix, a production company that specializes in documentaries and commercials. He and Vromen often test new technologies, and the Trump video, he stated, was part of their experimentation with Arcana’s tools.

Video of Gaza Riviera goes viral

The clip conjured up an image of Gaza as a palatial beachside resort where Trump lounges alongside a shirtless Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It also showed Tesla CEO Elon Musk dipping bread into a spread and, in another clip, walking on a beach with US dollars dropping from the sky. 

Avital insists that the AI-generated intended to comically represent Trump’s February proposal to redevelop Gaza into a Middle Eastern “Riviera” by moving its population of two million people.

“The news broke out, literally at the same time, and he was just taking his phone, pointing it out to the Las Vegas Strip, and said, Las Vegas Strip, Gaza Strip. We tested, we shared with friends and colleagues. They were laughing about it and sending us kind of fun emojis. And then Ariel, who has over 130,000 followers on Instagram, posted it,” explained the product designer.

Avital told BBC that he grew concerned about the potential backlash and pleaded with Vromen to remove it two hours after it was posted. By then, however, it had already reached millions of social media accounts.

Three weeks later, Avital was shocked to discover that Trump had posted the video without an explanation.

“You know, we thought that we were going to get in trouble with the president. That’s what I thought. You know, I thought we were going to get, you know, offend the White House or something. I never imagined in my life that Trump would share it.” 

The 57-year old CEO reckoned the danger was that if they had spent more than eight hours on the video, let alone an entire week, it would have been nearly impossible to prove it’s not real footage.

“If this had been a skit on Saturday Night Live, people would view it completely differently,” he continued. “It’s a reminder of how fake news spreads, with each network shaping the narrative however they want.”

Why did President Trump post the video?

Avital told BBC he was completely taken aback by Trump’s decision to share a video clip that included “unflattering elements,” such as a golden statue of himself towering over the city, which creators could coin as an authoritarian and dictatorial front.

“I was shocked that he posted it, especially with some of those scenes,” Avital said. “It’s one of the most insane things I’ve ever seen in my life.”

Vromen added that they wished Trump had provided some background or given the creators their flowers. “At least give the context that this was done with mixed intentions, part satire, part reaction to shocking news,” he said.

The two also revealed Mel Gibson, whom Trump recently appointed as a special Hollywood ambassador, had previously collaborated with their company. Gibson did not dismiss sharing a different AI-generated video about January’s wildfires in Los Angeles but denied playing any part in passing the Gaza clip to President Trump.

Speaking to NBC News, Arcana Labs CEO Jonathan Yunger, whose company developed the AI tools used for the video, admitted it was controversial but appealed for artists to continue expressing themselves.

“The video is not breaking any laws,” Yunger surmised. “Artists will always find ways to express themselves. But the fact that the president posted it as his own? That’s shocking.”

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