AI-Generated Video Falsely Shared as One of Bees Swarming Over E20 Fuel in Tanks

We found out that the video has been generated using AI.

A video is being widely shared, falsely claiming to show swarms of ants & bees gathering around the fuel tank caps of vehicles due to E20 fuel inside. 

(Source: Instagram/Altered by The Quint)

A video is making the rounds on social media, claiming to show swarms of ants and bees gathering around a vehicle's fuel tank due to ethanol blended E20 fuel inside.

An archived version of this claim can be found here. 

(Source: Instagram/Screenshot)

(Archived versions of similar claims can be found here, here, and here)

Is it true?: No, the video is AI-generated and does not show actual footage of bees gathering around vehicles' fuel tanks.

How did we find out?: We ran a keyword search, and we did not find any credible reports supporting the claim.

• When we conducted a reverse image search on the video using Google Lens, we found the account that shared the original video.

• The user has added an AI label to the post, which the video contained AI-generated or AI-manipulated content.

The user has added an AI label to the post.

(Source: Instagram/Screenshot)

• This led us to run the video through Hive Moderation, an AI-detection tool, which indicated that the video is 71 percent likely to be AI-generated.

Here is the result of the Hive Moderation Detector. 

(Source: Hive Moderation/ Screenshot)

• We ran the video through DeepFake-O-Meter, an AI detection tool, which showed that three detectors flagged the viral clip as being AI-generated.

Here are the results for DeepFake-O-Meter. 

(Source: DeepFake-O-Meter/Screenshot)

PIB's clarification: The Press Information Bureau's (PIB) fact-checking unit issued a clarification stating that the claims are fake and that there is no identifiable attractant associated with E20 fuel that would cause ants or other insects to surround the vehicle fuel caps.

Conclusion: The video is AI-generated and does not show actual footage of bees gathering around vehicle fuel tanks.

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