AI-generated images misrepresented as Hong Kong’s preparation for Super Typhoon Ragasa
Super Typhon Ragasa scanned Through the Philippines, Taiwan and southern China at the end of September, killing more than two dozen people in the region and leaving a trace of destruction in its wake. However, the images claimed online to show the buildings and public transport wrapped in plastic and secure on the ground to prepare for the storm are generated by AI – their creator has confirmed to AFP that they are not real photos.
“Typhoon Ragasa makes you roar. Strong rains are expected until Thursday. Hong Kong preparations are really deepened. Buses, cars, trains and several high -rise buildings are wrapped in thick plastic to prevent a similar catastrophe in 2018”, reads an Indonesian Indonesian -language post from September 24, 2025.
An image shared next to the post shows a bus, plane and tram wrapped in transparent plastic, with straps fixing the vehicles to the ground.
Screen capture of the Instagram false post taken on September 29, 2025, with a brand of the Red Cross added by AFP
Similar articles showing skyscrapers and statues also wrapped in transparent plastic have been shared on Tiktok and Facebook.
The posts broadcast while Hong Kong and certain parts of southern China were very alert in front of the Super Typhon Ragasa, forcing the Chinese authorities to close schools and businesses in at least 10 cities (archived link).
The storm, marked the most powerful of the year of the weather authorities in Hong Kong, also struck the Philippines, Taiwan and Macao before crashing into southern China with wind speeds up to 145 kilometers per hour (90 miles per hour) (archived connection).
The passage of Ragasa through Taiwan killed at least 14 years and injured dozens of others when a barrier lake broke in the east of the county of Hualien, according to officials. In the Philippines, more than a dozen people are also dead.
In Hong Kong, the impact was less serious, although it still caused floods, uprooted trees and earth flights.
Many Indonesian social media users seem to believe that the photos were real, some saying that they have shown how the Hong Kong authorities were preparing for the grave for typhoon.
“They are really vigilant there. All of them follow the rules,” said a user on Facebook.
However, online circulating images are generated by AI.
Visual inconsistencies
After a more in -depth inspection, the images display visual inconsistencies – such as typographic errors in signaling, distorted landscapes and poorly aligned flat wings – indicating that they were generated by AI.
Virtual inconsistencies in the images AI highlighted by AFP
The images also include the “Hkaiguy” watermark. A research on Instagram has found an account with the same name, of which Bio describes the user as a “Mème AI of HK” guy and which systematically shares images generated by AI (archived link).
In an article of September 23, the account shared a carousel of 20 images showing buildings and vehicles wrapped in transparent plastic with legend: “Super Typhon Ragasa? Hong Kong is not afraid.” (Archived link)
The message also includes an AI label, indicating that the images have been created or modified using AI tools (archived link).
Comparison of screenshot of the image in the false post (on the left) and the Instagram post of Hkaiguy with the label AI highlighted by AFP
The account owner confirmed that the images had been digitally handled.
“The images were fully created using AI,” said the account owner to AFP on September 26.
“Surrealist imagery was supposed to trigger a moment of lightness, perhaps even a smile, in the midst of the tension of typhoon preparations. In Hong Kong, we are not strangers to storms, but a creative boost can strengthen the importance of security while promoting a feeling of unity and optimism.”
AFP previously demystified the false affirmations on the Typhon Ragasa here and here.
