Channel Zero published yesterday a photo not marked AI (created by artificial intelligence) that had previously circulated on Russian channels and profiles. Is this a one-time thing or proof of a deeper problem with propaganda and content verification?
If it's Facebook, it's Russian too? – The photo of the leaders
Yesterday, a graphic showing the EU leaders meeting with Donald Trump appeared in the social media of Channel Zero. It soon turned out that the photo came from AI – a similar image had already been circulating on Russian Telegram channels and profiles on X, which caused a storm on the Polish Internet.
The channel removed the entry and posted an apology, emphasizing that Nicholas was responsible for it from the social media department. As a reason for the error, he indicated that there was no clear indication of the source and that he was unaware of disinformation.
Sins of the Past – Stanowski warned against Facebook
Just a year ago, Krzysztof Stanowski, the creator of the Zero Channel, warned his audience not to trust everything they see on the Internet. A loud echo echoed a Facebook film sent to Zbigniew Stonogi recorded in the editorial office Zero. Stanowski then successfully organized a provocation exposing the lack of verification in the media and emphasized how easy it was to fall victim to manipulation.
A crisis of trust or a routine setback? Comments and reactions
Main questions:
- Does a single incident justify the medium of this caliber?
- Are Polish media ready for a wave of Russian misinformation based on AI?
In space X and other social media there were sharp comments. Dorota Wysocka Schnepf and Tomasz Lis pointed out Zero lack of responsibility, suggesting participation in a wider machine of misinformation. Joanna Pinkwart of Channel Zero defended herself, emphasizing that the error was individual and resulted from the unthinkable decision of one person who is not a public representative of the editorial board.
First of all, it's better to lose your name than not go home. Secondly, Santa is not a public person and you do not have to introduce yourself or introduce yourself to anyone. This isn't a Rakowiecka audition. Thirdly – even in this entry, Mrs. Editor writes untruth and spreads Facebooks – Grok is responsible for "inciting the hate of Joasia Danikowska-Paź". Which bene's note at first claimed to be Robert Mazurek's voice and later that's mine. Fourthly, your entry on the subject would be quite funny if it were not serious. Fifth – Nicholas assumed that Macron's third leg was rather conspicuous. He wrote except it was AI. But, yes, this graphic should not appear on our profile, so he deleted it and now he apologizes. It's called taking responsibility for your actions. Something you've probably never had and won't know. – Joanna Pinkwart, Channel Zero
What does Russian propaganda look like?
In recent months, experts have pointed out that Russian channels on Telegram and X flood the Internet with AI-generated illustrations that are meant to sow chaos and undermine confidence in Western elites. Poland has become one of the objectives of this strategy – fake news, memes and manipulated materials are duplicated by different accounts before they enter a wide circulation.
What's next? Liability and transparency in the media
Channel Zero declared that in the future it would not publish AI generated content without a clear indication. The problem is that once trust is lost it is difficult to rebuild – especially when information security of the most important independent medium in the country is at stake.
Channel Zero faced a credibility test. Time will show whether this was a single situation or the beginning of a larger problem, which gains Russian propaganda.
Who's Santa from the social media department of Channel Zero?
After a five-minute investigation, we were able to determine who Santa is, who serves channel social media channel zero. However, because a huge wave of hate would probably spill on it – for now we will leave this information only for ourselves.
