A viral video claiming to show unidentified drones over Maryland has been confirmed to be artificially generated. The creator, Joey Malinski, admitted to using artificial intelligence for the footage.
Between mid-November and December 2024, residents in New York and New Jersey reported sightings of unidentified drones. The video, circulated on platforms like Facebook, TikTok, and X, described the objects as 'UFOs' and 'aliens.'
On December 17, 2024, President-elect Donald Trump criticized the Biden administration for not addressing the drone sightings and suggested they should be shot down.
U.S. government agencies stated that the drones reported in the Northeast do not pose a threat to national or public safety. On December 18, 2024, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a temporary ban on drone flights over parts of New Jersey, except for authorized operations related to national defense, law enforcement, or disaster response.
A reverse image search traced the video back to Malinski's TikTok account, where he features a playlist titled 'AI Creations.' He confirmed to AFP that the video was part of an experiment, emphasizing that it was digitally manipulated.