A recent study from the University of Cordoba has revealed that artificially generated videos of wild animals are increasingly misleading viewers about the true behavior of these creatures and their place in the ecosystem.
Scientists from the GESBIO group analyzed popular social media clips and identified common distortions: a leopard calmly playing with a child in a yard, or a domestic cat chasing away a predator. Such scenes are not just implausible; they attribute human-like traits and relationships to animals that do not exist in nature.
According to the study, such videos exacerbate the already noticeable disconnect between humans and wildlife. Vulnerable species appear numerous and accessible on screen, reducing the sense of real threat of their extinction. Consequently, public attention and support for conservation programs may weaken.
The authors emphasize that the problem lies not with the technology itself, but with the lack of labeling and media literacy. Children and adults, without sufficient experience interacting with real nature, accept fakes as documentary footage and form mistaken ideas about animal behavior.
The research, published in the journal Conservation Biology, opens a new field of study—examining the impact of AI content on biodiversity conservation. Scientists urge the development of critical visual information processing skills, especially among schoolchildren.
To protect nature, it is important to distinguish real observations from digital illusions and to support projects that showcase animals in their natural habitats.
