On closer inspection, the \u201cextra\u201d finger can be easily explained by video quality degradation and even lighting. Fact-checkers including Snopes<\/a> and the Poynter Institute\u2019s PolitiFact<\/a> have debunked claims that the video was AI-generated. We should also consider the runtime of the video itself, which, at almost 40 minutes, is far longer than the maximum clip lengths that can be generated by current AI video models.<\/p>\n In an attempt to put the AI clone conspiracies to rest, Netanyahu published a video to his X account yesterday showing him inside a coffee shop, and asking the person behind the camera to count his fingers. However, social media users promptly called out apparent visual inconsistencies, suggesting the footage was also an AI deepfake.<\/p>\n Netanyahu raises his left and right hands to the camera at one point to show how many fingers he has, but that didn\u2019t stop people scrutinizing everything else in the video. Image: @netanyahu<\/p>\n Some of these comments have merit, pointing to moments within the video that show liquid moving unnaturally<\/a> (or not depleting) within the coffee cup in Netanyahu\u2019s hand, and the ring on his finger seemingly vanishing in and out of the skin that surrounds it, though that could also be explained by video degradation. The background environment itself has also been called into question \u2014 the till on the counter appears to be displaying a date from 2024, for example. Others have denounced the video as fake over claims that Netanyahu is left-handed<\/a>, but is seen drinking the beverage with his right hand.<\/p>\n If you read the comments on some of these speculative posts, the reasons that people are giving to be suspicious of fakery in these videos get increasingly bizarre, questioning how naturally Netanyahu is holding the cup and the general \u201caura\u201d<\/a> he gives off. None of it actually matters, though, because it\u2019s almost impossible to definitively prove whether either of these videos is genuinely authentic.<\/p>\n Neither of the clips carries metadata from a system like C2PA Content Credentials<\/a> or SynthID, which could either verify their authenticity or track where and how AI tools were used. Out of the platforms like Instagram and YouTube that pledge to tag AI-generated or manipulated content, none of the clips they hosted gave any indication that the footage was fake, verified as authentic, or otherwise.<\/p>\n People want assurances that what they\u2019re seeing is real, especially with the ongoing conflict between Iran, Israel, and the US. Our online landscape isn\u2019t currently equipped to facilitate that, forcing us to constantly adapt by learning how professional fact checkers are debunking synthetic or misleading media<\/a>, or trusting others to tell us when something is fake.<\/p>\n Even before AI became rampant, people were occasionally paranoid about it being used to manipulate news \u2014 like the viral Kate Middleton proof-of-life photoshoot<\/a> that turned out to be a botched edit \u2014 and now, of course, it\u2019s much worse. AI tools are now capable of generating content with fewer of the usual \u201ctells,\u201d and it\u2019s becoming harder to say with absolute certainty if a photo or video of something actually happened. In turn, that\u2019s creating a crisis of trust even when people have no clear evidence of manipulation \u2014 as in the original Netanyahu video.<\/p>\n That uncertainty is already being used to spark distrust on all sides of this war. In a Truth Social post on Sunday<\/a>, President Donald Trump accused Iran of using AI as a \u201cdisinformation weapon\u201d to falsely depict successful attacks against the US, and called for media outlets that generated it to be charged with treason \u201cfor the dissemination of false information.\u201d It\u2019s true that AI-generated disinformation is rife<\/a>, but this is coming from the same man who has personally used deepfakes<\/a> to cause his own<\/a> political mayhem<\/a>, and leads the US administration that spends more time sharing AI-generated edgelord memes<\/a> and manipulative disinformation<\/a> to social media than actual policy bulletins.<\/p>\n And yet Trump still had the audacity to tell reporters<\/a> after making that Truth Social post on Sunday that \u201cAI can be very \u200bdangerous,\u201d and that \u201cwe have to be very careful with it.\u201d Perhaps the Trump administration could start by leading by example. For now, we can\u2019t even trust how people are holding their coffee cups.<\/p>\n Follow topics and authors<\/strong> from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.<\/p>\n Jess Weatherbed<\/p>\n Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n FollowFollow<\/p>\n See All by Jess Weatherbed<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n AI<\/p>\n Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n FollowFollow<\/p>\n See All AI<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n Policy<\/p>\n Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n FollowFollow<\/p>\n See All Policy<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n Report<\/p>\n Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n FollowFollow<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-16-194625.jpg\"\/)
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