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AI-generated content that highlights sensitive issues and captures public attention is often shared on social media. Below is a fact check of one such video.
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Social media users expressed doubts about the authenticity of the video in question, commenting:
The short video, which went viral on the internet and raised questions about whether it was real or AI-generated, was specifically mentioned by some Indian news channels:
We have taken steps to verify its accuracy.
Fact check:
The video shows a child standing near the railroad tracks, and a cow approaches the child just before a moving train passes, protects and rescues the child.
Some users commented that this video was broadcast on Hiru News on April 18, 2026, but no such video was seen on Hiru’s midday news broadcast that day (18th). The full text of the news broadcast can be viewed here.
Video showing some unnatural situations
A closer look at the video revealed some unnatural anomalies that would never occur in real life.
A cow tries to push a child off the railroad tracks, but an unnatural scene ensues in which the child suddenly appears at the cow’s feet.
When a train runs, strong atmospheric pressure is generated around it, which can generate wind. Although the train, child, and cow are only a few inches apart in the video, the child’s clothes and hair, as well as the cow, appear to be unaffected by the air pressure winds.
The video also shows the track branching into another track, which is from a different angle than what is normally seen when switching tracks.
Video generated by artificial intelligence
Keyframed the video through multiple AI content detection tools. The results consistently showed that the clips were likely generated by AI rather than real recordings. This corroborates the visual anomalies observed in the footage and strengthens the conclusion that the viral video is not genuine.
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Conclusion:
Our investigation shows that a viral video showing a cow next to a small child next to the tracks of an express train was not actually recorded, but was created using artificial intelligence. Some elements within the clip did not appear to match real-world conditions, and AI content detection tools indicated that the footage was likely synthetically generated. Based on these findings, this claim is false and the video should be treated as AI-generated content rather than an actual incident.
title: Was the child rescued by a cow near the tracks as the train passed?
Fact checker: Pavitra Khansani
result: error
