Fabricated AI animal videos are distorting how we see wildlife, researchers warn

Researchers at the University of Cordoba warn that AI-made animal videos and edited wildlife photos are spreading false ideas about animal behavior and species interactions.

They say synthetic wildlife content can influence conservation funding, encourage risky attitudes toward wild animals, and fuel illegal trade or misleading tourism.

A separate warning in Nature Ecology and Evolution says AI-altered images on platforms like iNaturalist can corrupt species records and cause identification errors.

The researchers say stronger media literacy and image verification are needed to protect ecological research and conservation decisions.