Claim:In this video, a Buddha statue was installed in Hussein Sagar, a tank band in Hyderabad in 1992.
fact:The claim is false. The video is generated by AI.
Hyderabad: Video showing the installation of a giant Buddha statue followed by ship transport across the water is circulating with claims that it showed the installation of a statue at Hussein Sagar in Hyderabad in 1992.
A Facebook user shared the video with the caption, “Remember back in 1992 and when a Buddha statue was placed in the Hussein Sagar, a tank band in Hyderabad.”
The video-covered text reads, “A Buddha statue was established in Hyderabad in 1992.”
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Fact check
The newsmeter has discovered that the claims are incorrect because this video is generated by AI.
Video contradiction
We have identified several anomalies in the video that suggest an AI generation, including vehicles moving in conflicting directions within the same lane, people lacking body parts, and individuals disappearing in completely unnatural ways between frames. The video also features many bystanders filming the transport of statues on mobile phones, which were not present in 1992.
Video source
A reverse image search for video keyframes was traced to an Instagram account called Bharath FX and uploaded on September 7th.
The account caption clearly states that the images and videos displayed on the reels are purely AI-generated content. The account also includes a disclaimer that says that there is no intention of hurting or harming anyone and that the posts are created solely for entertainment.
We also found videos generated by multiple AIs posted by the same account. According to the account's Bio, the creator is a digital artist specializing in 3D computer graphics (VFX, films, animation), video editing and film production.
Tool Results
The video was analyzed using the AI detector Deepfake-O-Meter. One of its detector algorithms flagged the content as likely to be generated by AI with 100% reliability, while another detector showed that it is likely to generate AI with a 95.1% reliability score.
Was the Buddha statue installed in Hyderabad in 1992?
According to a 2017 report from The News Minuts, the statue was successfully installed in 1992 and has since been a source of pride for the city.
The report revealed that during transport the statue was turned over and had been sinking to the bottom of Lake Husseinsagar for two years. The article also noted that the iconic monolithic statue of Gautama Buddha, located in the heart of Hussein Sagar in Hyderabad, was created by famous sculptors and Indian architect Satanata Mukhaiya Ganapati Stapati.
On April 8, 1990, the Washington Post reported that under the waters of a 35-foot murky lake in Central Hyderabad, there is the potentially world's tallest monolithic statue, a 50-foot, 440-ton granite Buddha statue.
Therefore, we conclude that the Buddha statue was actually installed in Hyderabad in 1992. However, virus videos are generated by AI. Therefore, the claim is false.
